Pull me out from Inside
by Cappuccino2go
Summary: All it takes is a broken jar of pickles. Set somewhere after 7.10 and a seemingly harmless accident leads to more.
1. Chapter 1

Better start with the disclaimer before I get into any trouble: Not mine and to be honest after season 6 and 7 I don't even want to own it and those who do should hide in a hole.

What is going to happen here ?

I'm going to try and write a chapter story. Not my first but the first I publish. I collected some general ideas and conversations already I just have to sit down and put them into chapters.

This story is going to play during season 7. Somewhere after 7x10 and yes the dead beat will be in this story - sorry guys but I promise there are not going to be any cutes-y, love-y dove-y, let me put my head on your dead weasel scenes in here. There is already some tension between them which will increase when something happens to Luke.

Rory is not going to be as quiet about the LC thing as on the show. She will probably be ooc but well I need her to be more open in my story.

What am I going to do with April here? - Well I guess I'll just leave her in Area 51. Since I'm not a big fan I will leave her out or just have her mentioned from time to time. I'm not sure about that yet. She is definitely not in Stars Hollow at the moment.

OK I think that was it. Nope that was not it. I want to thank Vaso for putting up with me and my rants. For encouraging me to put my ideas down and even reading them afterwards lol

That was really it now and I hope you enjoy the story.

If you find mistakes, keep 'em.

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Chapter One

It was one of those days. Those days where everything just goes wrong somehow. You get out of bed in the morning and you already know you want to crawl back in, throw the covers over your head and block out the rest of the world. Luke Danes however had a business to run and couldn't afford a whole day spent in bed. Besides he was not the type of guy who can just lie around all day long doing nothing. That was something a person he once knew by heart would do without a blink of the eye, but he didn't want to go there. Not today of all days. A day that already started with burnt oatmeal, bad orange juice and a cold shower because the boiler decided to die this morning.

Maybe it was just bad luck or a big coincidence and the rest of the day would get better. When the meat guy didn't show up, a whole batch of pies got burnt and by lunch time Luke was out of coffee, he knew the day wouldn't get any better – just worse, and he wished he was one of those guys who could spend the day in bed doing nothing. Why was he out of coffee anyway? His number one coffee consumer didn't come to the diner since 9 months and there was not one single person in this crazy town or he would bet, even in the whole world that drank as much coffee as she did. So where did his coffee go?

A loud crash from the storage room however distracted Luke from getting an answer to that question. He inhaled slowly, counted to ten in his head and exhaled loudly before he made his way out of the kitchen.

"Caesar what happened? I gave you one job today and you still manage to screw it up?"

"I'm sorry boss", Caesar's scared voice came out of the storage room, "I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to drop the jar of pickles but I nearly fell over the sack of potatoes that was lying on the ground and I lost my balance. It was an accident and I'm going to clean it up. Don't worry about it. Just take it off of my next paycheck."

In the meantime Luke had made his way over to the storage room to take a look at the damage.

"It's ok Caesar and I'm not going to take the jar of pickles off your paycheck. Just go home." Luke grumbled.

"But let me at least clean this up." Caesar tried to get back on Luke's good side.

"No", Luke said a bit too harsh. He took a deep breath and continued more calmly.

"Just go home ok. I'll take care of it. I'm going to close now anyway. It's a slow night and it was a long and bad day already. Have a good night."

Caesar lingered a bit longer in the door of the storage room before he made his way into the diner. Luke just took a quick look at the mess Caesar made and headed back out himself. He decided to close up the place and clean the kitchen and diner first before he took care of the pickles.

"OK people eat up. Closing time is in 10 minutes." He informed his few customers. There were only a couple of tourists and of course Kirk left in the diner.

"But Luke it's only 6. How can you close this early? What am I going to do? You know I can't go home to mother around this time of day." Kirk whined.

"If you haven't noticed Kirk I'm out of food since the delivery guy didn't show up and people around town already know I won't serve them dinner tonight. So after the few tourists leave it will be only me and you and that's something neither you nor I would recommend."

"But Luke we can spend some quality alone time with each other. Hang out like two old buddies and share our stories and what happened in our lives today." Kirk enthusiastically said while moving around on his stool following Luke's every move.

"Kirk you didn't even leave my diner for 10 minutes today. So whatever happened in your life today also happened in mine."

"Sadly enough." He mumbled more to himself than saying it out loud to Kirk.

"There are no stories to share Kirk. So eat up and leave."

Kirk knew better than to start an argument with Luke when he was as grumpy as today. Even Kirk knew it only ends badly for him so he finished his pie, paid and left without another word. The few tourists finished their meals and coffee soon after and left as well.

Finally Luke was able to close the place for the day and got right to the cleaning. After he was finished with the kitchen he moved on to the diner and cleaned the tables and then the floor. He collected all the ketchup and mustard bottles onto a plate and headed into the storage room to put them aside.

By the time he set foot back into the storeroom he had already forgotten about the pickles and the mess Caesar created. With his hands full and knowing where to go without looking he didn't see the wet spot on the floor. He stepped right onto a slippery pickle and lost his foothold. Luke tried to keep his balance but didn't succeed. He sent the plate with the bottles flying through the room while he tried to latch onto something.

His hand went to the shelf right next to him and while that gave him some hold for a few seconds the impact on it was too strong and it started to come down. Luke tried to get out of the situation and moved to the left. Unfortunately his foot bumped into the sack of potatoes that had already given Caesar a hard time today. Luke yelped out in pain when his ankle got strained and he fell flat on his stomach. Right when he thought the worst part was over the shelf came crushing down on Luke's back.

The impact was so hard it pressed out all the air in Luke's lungs. He wasn't even able to let out the scream of pain that went through his body. His mouth was wide open but no sound escaped. He squeezed his eyes shut, hands clenched tied into fists while he let his head sink slowly down to the floor.

After a couple of minutes Luke relaxed slightly and let out a loud grunt.

"Great. This just makes my day." He said through gritted teeth and tried to move in order to get out from under the shelf. Luke's bad luck didn't seem to be over yet since he was only able to move his arms and head. His lower body was completely trapped under the shelf and motionless.

_OK, think Danes. What can you do to get out of this situation? You are flat on the ground, can't move out from under the shelf and since you are on your stomach you can't even push the shelf off of you._

_Yell for help? There is no one around who could hear you. The diner is closed already._

_Call someone? Cell phone. Where do I have that stupid thing? Right I put in my pants pockets since I was expecting April's call later tonight._

Luke looked over to his right to see if he could reach down into his pocket. Some cans were lying around him which he had to move aside first. After some struggling he was able to reach down into the pants pocket and grab the cell phone. He successfully got it out and hoped it didn't get crushed when he hit the floor.

The phone was still intact and Luke let out the breath he was holding.

_Who to call now?_

Lorelai was the first that came to mind but he dismissed it with a sigh. What if HE picks up the phone? The situation Luke was in was bad enough already. He didn't need to add a conversation with him where he has to explain what happened. After their last encounter in the town square Luke was pretty sure Chris wouldn't react too well to his call and the last thing he wanted to do was to get Lorelai into trouble.

_OK 911 it is._ Luke sighed again and dialed the number.

Luke talked to the operator for about 5 minutes and explained his situation and where they would find him. The operator offered to stay on the phone with Luke till help arrives but he declined it. He was not in the mood for some chitchat with a stranger. His situation was not serious – so he thought.

TBC

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If Life hands you Lemons ask for Tequila and Salt ! - or a pretty review to cheer me up.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer - Nope not mine and I still don't want it after how it ended.

Thank you guys for all the reviews. It's really nice to read you liked the first chapter so far. I hope you enjoy the second as well.

Special thanks to Vaso although I know you enjoy reading it first even though I sometimes just feed you bits and pieces. The next train ride is coming up in two weeks so be prepared ;)

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After a long and exhausting week at Yale Rory was happy the weekend has finally come and she could head home. Well, over the last couple of months so many things had changed in Stars Hollow or should she rather say in the house she grew up, that she wasn't sure if home would really be the right term anymore.

First the man and only other stable male figure besides her grandfather who was supposed to live there wasn't in their lives anymore. The relationship between Luke and her mother didn't work out. Both made major mistakes which led to their break-up and now no other than her biological father was living in her former home.

Normally that wouldn't be a big deal since a traditional family lived like that. Mom, dad, one or two kids at home and a dog. The thing was Rory didn't grow up in a traditional family. It was always just her mom and her. Her father was never around and when he showed up they were both thrilled but it always ended with him making promises he couldn't keep while leaving both Gilmores hearts broken over and over again.

Her parents never seemed to get their act together but to Rory it was obvious that they were never meant to be together. They sure cared in their own special way for each other but Rory knew her mom didn't love Christopher enough to spend her life with him. The only relationship she saw her mother truly happy and in love was with Luke. Unfortunately Luke was also the only man who could hurt her mother like no one else, except Rory of course, but that again showed her how deep her mother's feeling ran, and in her opinion still run for Luke.

The break up wasn't easy on Lorelai and instead of taking her time to deal with what had happened she jumped right into the next relationship. Her dad of course happy she finally said yes to him wasn't a big help either. He might have even made the situation worse by marrying her mom in a matter of weeks.

So here she was on her way to the house she once shared with just her mom and was prepared to sharing with Luke only to find her father living there now. That wasn't the only adjustment Rory had to make in the last couple of months though. She didn't even have her room anymore when she came home. Since her father had a second daughter Gigi, who was 4 years old, and the house having no other vacant room than hers to turn into her half sister's room, Rory's stuff had to move out. That wouldn't have been a big deal for her. Sure it would have taken some adjustment and it would have felt strange but Rory would have understood if there wasn't the simple fact that her parents didn't even bother asking her how she would feel about it.

With all those thoughts and feelings on her mind Rory decided to cruise through Stars Hollow first before she headed to the house. Sometimes she just drove through the Hollow to look at the town square and see the banners and flyers in order to find out if Taylor had planed another one of those crazy festivals. Since her mother didn't attend town meetings anymore she never gets the latest events and gossips.

When Rory entered the town she noticed nothing had changed since the last time she was there. No festival was planed and the New Years decorations weren't there anymore either. The town looked rather colorless and depressed. It mirrored her mood today but something was strange. All of a sudden Rory got this weird feeling in her stomach. Something was wrong but she couldn't point out what it was.

It didn't take long though for her to find out what was wrong. When she rounded the last corner and entered the street that would lead her through the heart of the town she saw the lights of the fire truck and an ambulance flashing in front of Luke's. She reduced speed and stopped on the other side of the road. Rory had to take some deep breaths before she could form some coherent thoughts.

_What should she do? Go over there and see what is wrong or go home first? Maybe her mother would know what happened._

Rory couldn't see if it was Luke himself who needed help or if one of his costumers was injured. Maybe Luke had finally lost it and now Kirk or Taylor needed medical assistance. After a couple of minutes Rory had still a tight grip on the steering wheel but started to loosen it. She closed her eyes, inhaled deeply and decided to head to her mother first.

"Mom!" Rory burst into the house. "Mom!" She yelled out again as she saw no one in the living room.

"Kitchen." She heard her mother call back at her. Rory turned around, dropped all of her stuff on the floor and headed straight into the kitchen.

"Mom do you know what happened at Lu…" she stopped dead in her tracks as soon as she saw her father sitting at the kitchen table looking up at her. Rory looked around the room and jumped back a little when she saw her mother standing right next to her. Her father's presence had thrown her so off guard she already forgot her mother was in the kitchen also.

"Do I know what happened where honey?" Lorelai asked with an irritated look on her face since Rory's reaction puzzled her.

Rory looked from her mother to her father and back to Lorelai again. She wanted to answer but closed her mouth again.

"What is it Rory?" Lorelai asked again but still no reaction on Rory's part. Lorelai followed her daughter's gaze back to Chris and then to her again.

"Rory you are scaring mommy here. What is it? What happened?" she asked once more.

"Nothing mom." She finally replied. "I think I drove over a weasel or something. No big deal." She looked down. "I just hope I didn't kill it." She mumbled the last part.

Lorelai eyed her daughter suspiciously but all of a sudden they heard a soft chuckle from the kitchen table.

"What is so funny Chris?" Lorelai asked rather annoyed since she knew her daughter wasn't telling the truth and her concern increased by the second. Chris looked up at Lorelai and Rory. A big grin plastered on his face.

"Fresh road kill." He simply stated and chuckled again.

"Meaning?" Lorelai rolled her eyes at him.

"Wasn't there a diner somewhere that served road kill before they shut it down?" He chuckled again, ignoring the angry looks both girls shot at him. When he looked back up and saw their stares he asked:

"What? It's just a dead weasel Lorelai. Someone probably found it already and took care of the matter."

He couldn't suppress another chuckle. Lorelai just shook her head and looked back at Rory. Rory was slightly shaking and her eyes were shooting daggers at Chris which made Lorelai worry even more. Something must have happened on her way home.

"Rory honey I don't buy your weasel story here. You should know me better. So tell me what happened now." Lorelai finally said to her daughter.

Rory was fuming inside. That was so typical of her father. She was in a serious situation and he acts like an immature teenager and cracks a joke only he can laugh about. She directed her gaze back toward Lorelai and saw the concerned look on her face. Rory closed her eyes for a second and inhaled deeply.

"It's Luke." She dropped the bomb, opened her eyes again and waited for her parent's reaction. She knew Luke was a sour subject in that household. Chris just dropped his papers.

"Him again." he mumbled and shot Lorelai an angry glare. Both girls ignored him and turned back towards each other.

"What about him?" Lorelai tried to play it down but Rory knew she was concerned and worried deep down.

"Ehm" Rory stumbled, looking back at her father but decided to ignore his immature behavior from this point on and focus back on her mother.

"I don't know. I cruised through the Hollow before coming here since I wanted to see what's up in town. You don't bring any town news home anymore and I wanted to see if there was another festival planed or something. When I entered the town square I saw a fire truck and an ambulance in front of Luke's. I decided to check here first. Maybe you would know something you know?"

Rory grew quieter during the last sentence and averted her eyes. Lorelai could feel that Rory felt uncomfortable talking about the subject in front of her father and she knew Chris wasn't that happy either. She didn't even need to look at him. His disapproving growl reached both girls' ears.

"Why would Lorelai know?" He grumped from his spot at the table. Rory just looked angrily at him and saw jealously flicker in his eyes.

"You wouldn't understand anyway." She shortly responded and looked back at her mother. Not wanting to enter a big fight right now and Lorelai's concern over Luke kicking back in she started to ramble:

"Maybe Babette knows something. I mean she and Miss Patty are our gossip queens. If someone knows it would be them right?" Lorelai started to scan the kitchen in order to find the phone. "I should give her a call. Give me a second. I think the phone is in the living room."

Her voice disappeared with Lorelai into the next room. Rory and Chris stayed behind in the kitchen. No word was spoken, no eye contact shared while they listened to Lorelai's end of the conversation.

When Lorelai hung up she came back into the kitchen. The atmosphere had grown even colder if that was possible.

"What did Babette say?" Rory asked immediately.

"Well it was kind of weird." Lorelai stated and looked back into the living room as if that would clear her head from the talk she just had.

"What do you mean weird?" Rory wanted to know.

"First she hesitated in telling me and tried to get out of the conversation by telling me she wouldn't know what is wrong, but in the end she caved. She said she only knows that something happened at Luke's but since neither the ambulance people nor the fire fighters are stating what happened no one knows who is injured and why."

"Why did she hesitate?" Rory couldn't wrap her mind around the fact Babette wouldn't want to spill the scoop in a matter of seconds. She and Miss Patty made sure to get the news out there as soon as humanly possible and to as many people as possible.

"Well she only said it was a town thing and wouldn't interest me anyway." She shrugged and looked sadly in Rory's direction.

"She got a point there. The festivals are boring. That knit-a-pillow thing was just a waste of time and people froze their butts off. I'm glad you never dragged me to second or even worse a town meeting." Christopher said annoyed.

"But this isn't a town meeting or festival dad. Something happened at Luke's or even to Luke himself. They needed to call the fire fighters and an ambulance." She shouted back at him.

"I need to get out of here and find out what happened." Rory said in a huff and started leaving. When she saw Lorelai hesitating in the kitchen she only shook her head.

"I really can't see why Babette acted the way she did." Rory said sarcastically and left for the front door.

Lorelai didn't know what to do. She was worried about Luke and if he was alright. She wanted to go with Rory but knew Chris would make a scene. He was still angry with her because she agreed to write a character reference for Luke in order to get joined custody for his daughter April.

Lorelai looked back at Chris and she could tell he wanted to forbid her to go but knew if he uttered those words she would put up a huge fight with him. Rory's words and the conversation she had with Babette came back to her and she asked herself when the last time she participated at any town thing was? The only town festival that came to mind was the Knit-A-Thon which came to an early end thanks to her husband.

Lorelai shook her head in disbelieve. There was a town shindig every month and a meeting each week and if someone didn't cut their lawn to Taylor's liking he dragged everyone out to a second meeting if he wanted to. In the past she not only went but also actively participated at each and every one of them. Yet here she was looking back at what she had done for the town since that fateful night in May and she couldn't come up with anything besides the disastrous Knit-A-Thon.

"I have to go." She simply stated and looked at Chris. He knew there was no need to argue with her. Her mind was set. He turned back to his paper and only listened to the door Lorelai shut behind her when she left.

TBC

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	3. Chapter 3

Better start with the disclaimer before I get into any trouble: Not mine and to be honest after season 6 and 7 I don't even want to own it and those who do should hide in a hole.

Thanks to all of you who reviewed. Keep them coming.

If you find mistakes, keep 'em.

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Chapter III

Rory had already past Babette's house and was nearly around the corner on her way to Luke's diner when she heard a door slam shut.

"Rory! Wait up!" Lorelai yelled after her daughter. She walked down the steps and fell into a little jog to catch up with Rory.

"Are you training for the Olympics without telling me?" She asked out of breath when she reached her offspring.

"Jesse Owens has nothing on me." Rory joked back.

"I'm sorry." Lorelai turned serious again. Rory gave her a soft smile in response and linked her arm through her mother's.

"One small step for man." Rory turned them around and started to walk towards the diner again.

"But one giant leap for Lorelai Gilmore." Lorelai whispered.

A small smile appeared on Rory's face. She knew how hard that step was for her mother but she was glad she made it. After all Luke just meant too much to her – to both of them.

The closer they got to the diner the more nervous Lorelai became. She started fidgeting with her fingers and the worried look on her face became more serious. Rory knew her too well to not know what went on in her head. Besides the same questions run around in her mind as well.

_What was going on at the diner? Who was injured and how bad was it? What if it was in fact Luke who got hurt?_

Both girls entered the main street which would lead them to the diner and already gave them a good view down the road. The fire truck was no longer there. Only the ambulance was still present.

When they got closer Lorelai and Rory saw some of the Stars Hollow usual suspects. Kirk was running around like a chicken without a head. Taylor tried to calm him down but failed miserably. He tried to catch him after some fruitless attempts of talking Kirk into calming down. Together with Miss Patty he chased after Kirk.

A couple rounds through the town square later they still haven't got Kirk. Andrew, sick of watching the whole act, came to their rescue. They were finally able to trap him at the dance studio. Kirk was yelling and screaming from the inside. Taylor, Miss Patty and Andrew caught their breaths on the steps outside.

When Rory and Lorelai got closer to Luke's they stopped paying attention to those lunatics. Rory stood in front of the big diner window and looked inside. She tried to sneak a peak at what was going on in there.

"Can you see anything?" She asked her mother but didn't get a reaction from her. Rory didn't even notice Lorelai had stopped at the Soda Shoppee and therefore couldn't look into the diner. She was pale and the tears in her eyes ready to spill over any second. Rory was just about to ask her if everything was alright when they heard commotion from inside the building.

Rory turned back around and saw two men pushing a gurney from the storeroom through the diner. Someone was lying on it but she couldn't see who it was. When Lorelai heard the noises she moved closer to the diner window and stood next to Rory. She peaked through the glass and she inhaled sharply.

"Oh my god." Lorelai barely whispered. Rory knew immediately from her mother's reaction that the man on the gurney was indeed Luke. She turned back around and moved closer to the door. She could already hear Luke. He obviously didn't seem too pleased to be carried out on a stretcher.

"This is insane." He fumed at the paramedics. "A stupid shelf fell on me and not the whole building. You have me tied down on that thing like I'm almost dead here. I'm not hurt that bad. In fact I don't even feel any pain."

"It's for your own safety Mr. Danes. Besides you have a pretty ugly cut on your thigh. We have to keep you immobile to keep the bleeding at a minimum." One of the paramedics said calmly. Luke was so caught up in his rant the fact he had a deep cut on his leg didn't even seem to register with him.

"This is ridiculous." He growled. "I'm not some lunatic you have to tie down in order to keep him from running away." Ironically just at that moment Kirk had found a way out of the dance studio and was running around the town square again. Taylor, Patty and Andrew were on his tail screaming after him to stop running around.

Luke just looked up at the paramedics and dryly said: "You better get the straight jackets out for them. This", he patted the gurney, "is not going to slow them down." Luke smirked at them. When he looked at the second paramedic Luke saw someone standing behind him.

"Rory?" He asked surprised.

"Hey Luke." Rory responded and moved slowly around the paramedic.

"I saw the ambulance and fire truck on my way home through town. Is everything OK?" She asked him worried.

"Ah a stupid shelf fell on me and apparently I cut my leg. No big deal. I just had to call them since I was trapped under the shelf and couldn't get out by myself." He dismissed it.

"You should go back home Rory." He turned serious. "It's your weekend off from school. You should relax and not worry about me and my baby scratch here."

"Well after I saw all the blue lights everywhere I needed to make sure you were alright. Well mom and I actually needed to make sure."

"Your mom's here too?" Luke asked her surprised and looked behind Rory. When she saw his gaze wander behind her she turned slightly to give him a better view and to make sure herself her mother was indeed still there.

Lorelai was still rooted to her spot at the big diner window. Still as pale as when they first spotted Luke through the glass. She wanted to step forward, she really did but she simply couldn't. Her feet didn't respond to her and she was too scared they would give in under her if she moved.

When her eyes met Luke's they instantly started to tear up. She had to fight hard to keep them from spilling over. Her mouth on the other hand was completely dry and when she tried to say something it got stuck in her throat. Luke couldn't turn his gaze away from her. His mouth was dry as well. Speaking right now was impossible. They kept their eyes on each other and even though they went through a lot and hurt each other deeply in the past at that moment they didn't need any words. They let their eyes speak for them.

The moment however didn't last long. One of the paramedics interrupted and ordered to finally get Luke into the ambulance and take him to the hospital.

"I'm sorry ma'am but we really have to get him into the ambulance and to the hospital." He told Rory.

"Yeah sure. I'm sorry." She apologized. "Where are you taking him?" Rory wanted to know.

"Saint Francis ma'am." He replied and ushered the gurney towards the ambulance. Luke kept his gaze on Lorelai as long as he could. Meanwhile Rory had moved to stand next to her mother again. She took Lorelai's hand in hers and squeezed it.

"He is going to be ok mom." She whispered.

"I hope so kid." She replied softly. Her eyes were still on the ambulance that disappeared at the horizon.

"OK let's get moving." Rory squeezed her hand again to get her mother's attention. Lorelai turned towards her daughter and looked quizzically at her.

"Where are we going?" She asked, blinking the remaining tears away.

"To the hospital. I want to make sure the cut is really everything Luke got." Rory answered and started to walk back to the house and get her car. When she realized her mother didn't follow her she turned around.

"What? That was it on your part? Just show up here, finding out if he is still breathing and then it's back to _I don't know this guy_ again?" Rory asked in disbelief.

"Rory…" Lorelai started but got cut short by her daughter again.

"Forget it mom. Go back to pretending nothing happened and that it didn't affect you one bit. That's what you do best but don't asked me to do the same. I care for Luke mom and I'm still concerned there is more to the accident then we think. So I'm going after the ambulance if you are coming or not I don't care." Rory snarl angrily at Lorelai. She couldn't believe her mother. One minute she was concerned and close to tears and the next she was back to she could care less about what happened to Luke.

"Hey don't tell me I don't care about Luke." Lorelai barked back at Rory. "I do care but…"

"But what mom?" Rory challenged her.

"But I have to take your dad into consideration here." Lorelai replied.

"Dad?" She asked incredulously. "Did he have an accident? Did an ambulance take him to the hospital? Do we know nothing about his condition right now? How bad the accident really was? Is he the one going to be alone at the hospital? A place we both know he hates more than anything and feels uncomfortable in?" Rory glared at her mother waiting for an answer.

"No." Lorelai answered in a low voice averting her gaze from her daughter.

"Then I don't know where the problem is here." Rory said coolly.

"You saw how he reacted earlier. What do you think his reaction will be when I tell him I'm going to the hospital with you?" Lorelai cried out.

"I see my mother standing in front of me but the woman speaking to me sure is not her." Rory shook her head unbelievingly. "You are concerned about a friend and want to make sure he is alright."

"This is not that simple Rory." Lorelai interrupted her. "Luke and I have history."

"Right mom. You were best friends and you care about your friends. It's his problem not yours if dad doesn't see that or doesn't understand that. What if it was Sookie? Would he act the same way?"

"I wasn't about to marry Sookie." Lorelai responded.

"You didn't marry Luke either." Rory shot back at her.

"That was his decision not mine." Lorelai said angrily.

"And you made sure he only had one option." Rory bit back. Both girls glared at each other. After a couple of seconds Rory was the first to move.

"I don't have the time and energy to get into that with you right now. If you can make your peace with your decision good for you. I have to go." Rory turned to walk away. After a couple of steps she turned slightly back towards Lorelai.

"How many times did Luke come to your or our rescue no matter if you two were in a fight or not?" Rory asked her mother before she left.

Lorelai watched her daughter walk away. Her last words hung thickly in the air repeating over and over in her head.

To be continued

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Feel free to review.


	4. Chapter 4

Better start with the disclaimer before I get into any trouble: Not mine and to be honest after season 6 and 7 I don't even want to own it and those who do should hide in a hole.

Thanks you guys for the nice reviews. I really enjoy reading them and I'm glad you still like the story.

If you find mistakes, keep 'em.

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Chapter IV

_What the hell is wrong with her? 10 years mom. You know Luke for 10 years now and he dropped everything the moment we needed his help. He was always there for you, for me and for us. I can't believe she can just ignore 10 years of friendship. And why? Just because dad could get his panties in a twist over a stupid trip to the hospital to make sure our friend is ok._

Rory was furiously debating in her head on her way to the house. She didn't look either left or right and didn't even realize she nearly got run over by a car. The honking of the car fell on deaf ears and the driver yelling at her was completely ignored. Rory was too caught up in her mind. Like on autopilot she headed for the house. She only needed to get her purse, the car keys and was ready to drive to Hartford.

Rory entered the house with such force the door slammed into the wall. The glass vibrated from the impact. She went straight into the kitchen to get her things. When she came back into the living room her father was standing in her way back out the front door. His arms crossed over his chest.

"What got into you?" He asked her.

"I don't have the time to go through this right now. Get out of my way." Rory fumed back at him.

"Then take your time and calm down." Christopher said sternly.

"Don't tell me what to do and get out of my way." Rory tried to move around him but didn't succeed. Chris was blocking her way completely.

"Consider who you are talking to and lower that attitude kiddo." He said and put his hands onto his hips.

"First who exactly am I talking to and second drop the kiddo crap. I'm not 5 years old." Rory replied and mimicked his position.

"I'm your father Rory and I request some respect from you here."

"Request some respect. That's rich coming from you." She snorted at him. "Do you even know what it means to respect other people, their opinions, feelings and belongings? In order to demand respect you should pay some yourself"

"What is that supposed to mean?" He asked angrily.

"Did you pay me any respect when you married my mom and best friend without me even being there? Did you respect my things when you threw everything out of my room without even asking me? And don't get me started on the respect you had for me throughout my life so far." Rory boiled with rage and glared at him.

"Your mom and I got caught up in the moment. We waited so long for this to happen and the moment was right. We didn't want to wait any longer." He defended their decision to elope in Paris.

"As when you two were ever right for each other." Rory snorted and rolled her eyes.

Christopher ignored her snarky comment and continued: "We needed your room for Gigi. She needs a place here as well and there was only your room we could use. I'm sorry I wasn't there throughout your whole life Rory but…"

"Oh save it for someone who is still interested in all your excuses" Rory interrupted his whiny justifications. "It's always someone else's fault but never yours. I'm fed up with it. I can't listen to this anymore. Wait till mom gets here. She for sure seems to still fall for it."

She moved closer to Christopher but he still didn't move one bit. He just glared at her in disbelief.

"Would you just move already? I need to get to the hospital and since I can't beam myself there yet I need to get to my car and drive there." Rory started to loose the little patience that was still left in her bit by bit.

"Why do you want to go to the hospital?" He asked daftly.

"Attention span of a 3 year old." She muttered under her breath and shook her head.

"What was that?" Chris wasn't sure if he had heard her right.

"You do still remember I told you there was an ambulance and a fire truck in front of Luke's do you?" Rory looked him straight in the eyes.

"It was in fact Luke who got hurt and they are taking him to the hospital as we speak. So would you just let me through please? I need to go after the ambulance." Rory said getting more aggravated.

"No." He simply stated straightening up his figure to tower over Rory even more.

"Excuse me?" Rory asked in astonishment.

"You heard me. You are not going after the ambulance." He replied as if it was the most normal thing to say in the world.

"And why is that?" Rory challenged him.

"Because that guy has already enough influence on that family as it is and I'm your dad and I said so." He stated.

"You want to play the dad card on me?" Rory asked and at the same time started to chuckle. When she looked up at Chris and saw the puzzled look on his face she couldn't hold it back anymore. Her chuckles turned into a full blown laugh and she nearly toppled over.

"What is so funny here?" He asked heatedly.

"You haven't been my dad for 22 years and now…"

"I**am** your father Rory!" Chris yelled at her.

"Yes father. The guy who impregnated my mother and showed up here and there so we would know he was still alive." Rory shot back. "But a dad? D for duty. A for above and D for desire?"

"Sorry my dear father," Rory sat stepping closer to Christopher and looking him in the eyes, "but there is a guy out there in an ambulance that takes him to the hospital right now who knows those words by heart and lives after them. You want to know the funny part about it? He even lived up to those words in regards to me although we are not even blood related. Hell he even acted like that way before he got involved with mom. When have you ever put me before your desires?" She questioned him.

When Christopher stayed mute she finished: "I thought so." And shook her head.

"You only made me your duty when you got the jackpot in return." Rory continued sadly. She moved closer to Chris again and carried on: "You succeeded there so go back to what you do best. Ignore me and let me finally drive to the hospital."

"You are my daughter Rory if you want that or not and I'm not allowing you to go after that diner guy." Chris said determined. He turned around and locked the door.

"You've got to be kidding me." Rory said not believing what was happening. "I'm 22 years old and you can't tell me what to do and what not to do."

"You want to bet?" Chris turned back around to face Rory and smirked at her.

Rory simply shook her head at Chris and calmly said: "You know what? I'll give. Have your little victory here. If it makes you feel big once in your life who am I to stand in your way."

She gave him a little smile, turned around and went into the kitchen. Chris seeing himself as the winner smiled proudly to himself. He pranced around the foyer, breast swelled with satisfaction till he heard the backdoor slam shut.

"Rory?" he asked and walked after her into the kitchen. "Damn" he cursed after he saw she wasn't there anymore.

_He really is not the sharpest knife in the drawer. _Rory grumbled in her head when she exited the kitchen and moved around the house to get to her car. She went down the stairs and almost reached her car when she saw Lorelai walking up the driveway and hearing Chris opening the door yelling her name.

"What is going on here?" Lorelai asked when she heard Chris' yelling from the porch.

"If you want me to ever set foot into that house again make sure he is on an errand run." Rory directed angrily at her mother and got into her car.

"Rory you are not going to the hospital! Come back here immediately!" Chris yelled again but Rory had already closed the door and started the car. She backed out of the driveway and drove off to the hospital.

Lorelai had no idea what had just happened and looked stunned after Rory's disappearing car. When she turned back to the house she only saw Chris' back before he slammed the door shut. She heaved a heavy sigh and made her way into the house.

"Ok Tony Micelli what did you do that drove Samantha off?" She said after stepping into the house. She thought Chris didn't make it as far as to the living room but she was wrong. She considered looking upstairs for a second but decided to check the kitchen first. Chris was sitting at the table, a glass of scotch in his hand and still red in the face from his fight with Rory.

"Lovely Who's the Boss impression you had going there with Rory." She tried again and studied Chris' face.

"I forbid her to go to the hospital." Chris stated simply; taking a sip of his scotch.

"You did what?" Lorelai asked dumbfounded.

"I didn't want her to go after that guy." His voice slightly rose and he glared at Lorelai.

"Chris you can't forbid Rory to see Luke." She said getting angry herself.

"Why not Lorelai? I have every right to tell her what she can do and what not. I'm the man in this house now." He shot back.

"First she is 22 years old and if she wants to make sure a friend is ok after having an accident it's her right to do so. Second Rory cares about Luke. They know each other for years. They are friends. She wants to make sure he is alright." She tried to convince Chris that it wasn't such a big deal.

"So you are backing her up?" He yelled and got out of his seat.

"Chris calm down. Rory just wants to make sure her friend is not badly injured."

"I should have seen this coming. This is your fault." He said under his breath; emptying his glass and placing it with force back on the table.

"What?" Lorelai asked perplexed.

"Well she is your daughter isn't she?" He howled back and new immediately he overstepped the line.

"My daughter?" Lorelai fumed; narrowing her eyes at him. "Oh that's rich Christopher." She gave him one more glare and then turned around. She couldn't be in the same room with him right now. She had to leave.

"Lor…" Chris tried but Lorelai shut him down right away.

"Save it Chris. I don't want to hear it. Not now." She told him and turned around to grab her things and move to the foyer to get her coat.

"Lor I'm sorry." He tried one more time.

"You always are Christopher." Lorelai replied and opened the door. She hesitated for a second and closed it again. She took a deep breath and turned back to Chris.

"Since Rory is MY daughter I will give you some motherly advice. Never ever tell MY daughter again she is not allowed to make sure one of the people she cares about is alright. She is 22 years old and I her mother have not a problem with that. So neither should you." Lorelai said in a determined voice and turned back to the door.

"You are going after her and to him?" Chris asked slightly disgusted and angry that his wife was talking like that to him. Lorelai turned around once more and looked at him.

"He has a name. It's Luke. And yes I'm going to the hospital to make sure myself his injuries are not worse than we think. Do you have a problem with that?" She asked him.

"Not?" She said without giving him the chance to protest. "Good. I'll see you later then." And with that she left the house.

To be continued

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If life hands you lemons, ask for tequila and salt.


	5. Chapter 5

Better start with the disclaimer before I get into any trouble: Not mine and to be honest after season 6 and 7 I don't even want to own it and those who do should hide in a hole.

Thank you for your amazing reviews guys. Keep them coming.

Special thanks to Vaso once more. I like the input you give me and thanks for kicking my butt to sit down and write or for telling me to put on my insane music that animates me to write.

No Chris in this one but I hope you will still enjoy it ;)

If you find mistakes, keep 'em.

------------------------------------

Chapter V

"Come on! Come on! Drive faster or move out of my way." Rory yelled behind the steering wheel. She was on her way to the hospital and had no time to drive grandma speed. She was in a hurry and wanted to be there for Luke. She was still angry at her father, in a hurry and that reflected in her way of driving. When she nearly caused an accident she took a deep breath and slowed down. If she ended up on a stretcher herself she wouldn't be of any help for Luke.

After 20 minutes she entered the parking lot of the hospital and went to the emergency room first. Maybe Luke was still there and if not they might know where they took him.

"Excuse me?" Rory asked the woman at the reception. "I'm looking for a Luke Danes. Can you tell me if he is still here or if they moved him somewhere else?"

The woman behind the desk eyed Rory suspiciously.

"He had an accident and the paramedics told me they were bringing him here. That was like half an hour ago." Rory continued to explain her situation when she saw the look on the other woman's face.

"Let me see what the computer has to say about it." The woman said; still skeptical in what relation that young girl was to the man.

"Yes we have a Lucas William Danes here and he is still in the ER." The elderly woman explained. "They are doing some tests and then they will move him upstairs."

"So he is ok. Can I see him?" Rory asked eagerly.

"Are you a relative? His daughter?" The woman asked Rory. "If you are not related I can't give you any further information and I can't let you see him." She continued.

Rory got slightly nervous. She already expected that but she didn't know what to do. She couldn't lie but she couldn't tell the truth either since then she wouldn't be able to get to Luke.

"Ehm" She started. "I'm the only one who knows he is here. There is no one else coming and I don't want him to be alone. He needs someone to be there for him. Luke was always there for me as long as I can remember." Rory pleaded.

"I'm sorry ma'am but if you are not related to Mr. Danes I can't help you." The woman said sadly. "It is hospital policy and I can loose my job."

"Yeah I understand and I don't want that to happen." Rory sighed and slump her shoulders down. "And if you ask Mr. Danes and he wants to see me, too, would that work?" Rory tried everything to find a way to see Luke.

"Ma'am I can't let you in." The nurse said again.

"But there has to be a way that I can see him. I need to see him. He needs someone. He can't be here all alone. He hates hospitals. He is not comfortable here." Rory cried out.

"Miss calm down or I will have to call security and remove you from the ER." She said sternly.

"But you don't understand." Rory continued and started pacing. "He has no good memories when it comes to hospitals. No one is here for him besides me right now. I have to be at his side. He can't do this alone." During her rant Rory's pacing had increased and every person in the ER turned towards her and listened to her desperate pleads.

"There is nothing I can do." The nurse tried again but got interrupted by Rory once more.

"There is always something you can do. Please I have to see him." Rory just couldn't give in. She took a deep breath and felt a second wind coming. Just then a door opened and a man on a gurney got wheeled out.

"Rory?" The man said and all eyes went to him. Rory's eyes filled with tears when she looked at Luke.

"What is going on?" He asked when he saw Rory's tears and all the people staring at him.

"They won't let me see or talk to you." Rory choked out. She made a step toward Luke and looked back at the nurse at the reception desk. The woman came around the desk and walked with Rory towards Luke.

"This young lady here wanted to see you but it's against hospital policy to let her do it if she is not related." She said and looked pointedly at Luke. "So if she is let's say your daughter she can go with you." The nurse continued and kept her gaze at Luke to make him see what he needs to say.

"So if I ask again in what relation you two are…" She probed.

"I will tell you that she is my daughter and I want her to come with me." Luke answered and looked the nurse straight into her eyes.

She then turned to Rory and looked questioningly at her.

"I am." Rory whispered and looked at Luke. A small smile played around her lips. She moved closer and grabbed his hand. Luke lightly squeezed it and mouthed an "it's alright" in her direction.

"Ok", said the older woman. "When that is all straightened out you can bring Mr. Danes and his daughter up to his room."

The orderlies just nodded in agreement and started to push Luke to the elevator. Rory had let go off Luke's hand and was silently following them.

When they reached Luke's room the orderlies put his bed in its place and left. Rory was still standing at the door and looked around uncomfortable. When her eyes met Luke's she smiled softly at him and moved closer.

"So what is wrong with you?" She dived right into the subject and Luke had to chuckle.

"The journalist in you never sleeps eh?" He said.

"I'm sorry." She tried to apologize but Luke held up a hand and stopped her.

"It's ok Rory." He dismissed it and went on:" I don't know yet. They made some tests and now we have to wait for the results. Apparently I have a deep cut on my right thigh and they needed to stitch it up."

"Does it hurt?" Rory wanted to know.

"I don't know." Luke shrugged with his shoulders.

"What do you mean you don't know? Are the pain killers that good?" She asked and had to chuckle herself this time.

"I wouldn't know if the pain killers worked or not." He said and looked down for a second. When he looked back up and saw the questioning look Rory gave him he heaved a sigh.

"I can't feel my legs Rory." Luke said and saw the shock on her face that washed through her right now.

"Are they broken or anything and that's why you can't feel them?" She moved closer to his bed and the worried look on her face increased.

"No nothing is broken. They x-rayed me and everything. We have to wait for the results now to see what is wrong with me." He tried to explain.

"Hey everything is going to be fine." Luke said when he saw her worried face. Rory only gave him a weak smile in return. She knew it wouldn't be that easy if he couldn't even feel his legs. Something was wrong; seriously wrong. Her gut feeling was right and she was a bit relieved she went after the ambulance after all.

"You should go home Rory. I'll be fine here."

"No Luke", Rory interrupted him. "I'm not going home. I won't leave you here alone. I know how much you hate hospitals and how uncomfortable they make you. I'm staying and that's final." She firmly said and emphasized her statement with a stern look. She turned around and moved the chair from the corner to the bed and sat down.

"Don't you have to be home? It's your weekend off from Yale and I'm sure your mother wants to spend time with you since you haven't seen each other for quiet a while. And what about your dad and sister? They want to see you also." He tried to reason with her.

"You are more important now Luke." Rory said and turned her eyes down. She started to fidget in her seat a bit and Luke knew immediately there was more behind it.

"Rory!" He said firmly and waited till she was looking at him. "What is it?" He asked.

"How do you that?" Rory asked him amazed in return.

"Do what?" Luke asked confused.

"Always knowing something is wrong by just looking at us." She replied.

"Us?"

"Yeah mom and I. You can always tell if something is wrong or if we have something up our sleeves. How do you do that?" Rory asked amazed again.

"I just know you guys for a really long time now I guess." Luke tried to shrug it off.

"A certain other does too and still he gets nothing." She mumbled.

"What was that?" Luke wasn't sure if he heard her right.

"Nothing." She dismissed it.

"Rory if Lorelai is not ok with…" Luke said but Rory interrupted him before he could finish his sentence.

"It's not mom." Rory sighed and turned down her gaze.

"Oh" was all Luke could say to that. "Rory I don't want to come between you and your dad. If he is not ok with you being here then you shouldn't. I don't want you to get into a fight with him over me." He tried to reason with her again.

"No Luke." Rory interrupted him once more and turned her eyes back to him.

"I want to be here. You are important to me and if he has a problem with that it's not my fault. You were always there for me. You would have been my step-dad by now if…" She trailed off, looking down; not able to meet his eyes.

"If I hadn't messed up so badly with the whole April situation." He sadly stated.

"No Luke you just learned you had a daughter for 13 years. You wanted to get to know her. To be her dad. To be good at it. You put her first what every good parent would have done not like some other."

"Rory"

"No Luke," she cut him short, "he sucks as a dad. Always has and it's not going to change. He was never interested in me or my life. His only interest lies in mom and now that he…" She couldn't finish the sentence.

After a few seconds she sighed and said: „He doesn't know me and it doesn't even bother him." She continued sadly.

"His loss." Was the only thing Luke said. Rory's eyes met his and she shyly smiled at him. Just as Luke wanted to continue the door opened and someone looked into the room.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Lorelai drove around for nearly half an hour before she decided to go to the hospital and find out how Luke was. She couldn't go back home just yet and the nagging feeling that there was indeed more wrong with Luke than they thought got stronger with every minute that ticked away. Driving around aimlessly calmed her down a bit but she was still angry at Christopher and what he had said and done.

She understood that Luke was a subject Christopher liked to avoid like going to Friday night dinner with her but if Rory wanted to see if he was alright Chris didn't have the right to forbid her to go. Rory was 22 years old and could make her own decisions. She always had her own relationship with Luke and she cared about him in her own way. They didn't have much contact over the last few months but Lorelai thought it was because Rory didn't want to hurt her feelings in any way and Rory had a lot to figure out with her last year at Yale and her parents getting married without her. Lorelai knew Rory was not very happy about it and ever since then Rory became distant or did she cut her out of their lives without even realizing it?

Lorelai heaved a frustrated sigh and shut down the engine. While she was debating her situation in her head she had reached the parking lot of the hospital. She looked at the building and realized she probably needed a good explanation for why they have to let her know where Luke Danes' room was. Lorelai opened the car door with her left hand and her eyes traveled to her ring finger. She withdrew the hand and looked at it thoughtfully.

Lorelai made her way into the hospital and after asking 3 people and lying to two she finally got to know in which room Luke was. She was anxious and scared at the same time. She wanted to make sure Luke was alright but at the same time she was scared as hell about how Luke was going to react when she visited him. Lorelai went up to Luke's floor and made her way to the waiting area at the end of the hallway and decided to wait there first. She was too afraid to go into his room. Maybe Rory was still there and would come out at one point or the other.

After half an hour Lorelai was too nervous to just sit there and wait any longer. She had to do something. She spotted a nurse down the hallway. Lorelai got up and walked over to her.

"Excuse me ma'am." She started. "I'm sorry to bother you but could you do me a huge favor and go into that room", she pointed at Luke's door, "and ask for a Rory Gilmore to step outside for a second?"

The nurse eyed her suspiciously.

"I'll buy you one hell of a huge cup of coffee." She pleaded with the nurse.

"Ok but I prefer tea." She replied.

"Tea is good; healthy and all. It's not going to kill ya one day." She started to ramble.

The nurse just shook her head, smiled and made her way to the room and disappeared behind the door. Lorelai got more nervous if that was even possible.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Meanwhile back in Luke's room the nurse had entered carefully. Luke and Rory looked up at her.

"Excuse me is a Rory Gilmore in here by any chance?" The nurse asked attentively.

"That's me." Rory answered puzzled and looked at Luke who was as confused as she was.

"Oh good. You have to come with me for a second." The nurse said.

"Why? What is wrong? I want to stay with my dad." Rory was a bit surprised about how easy it was for her to call Luke dad when someone else was around.

"No there is no problem. A woman is just waiting for you outside. She promised me a huge cup of coffee although I prefer tea if I ask you to step out for a second." The nurse replied with a smile.

Rory's face lit up.

"Mom's here." She turned to Luke with huge exciting eyes.

"I'm going to see what she wants and why she doesn't just come in." Rory's smile slowly disappeared when she looked at Luke and couldn't decipher what he was thinking.

"I'm sorry. Do you even want her here? Should I just send her away? I don't know…" Rory trailed off and looked at her shoes. Luke took in a deep breath and exhaled loudly.

"I'm not sure Rory. I'm sorry." He stammered.

"You don't need to feel sorry. I understand." Rory interrupted him.

Luke sighed again.

"Ok you go outside and ask her how she wants to handle the situation. I'll make up my own mind and then we see where it goes. How is that?" He suggested.

"Ok but if you…" Rory wanted to make sure Luke was really alright with it.

"Just go and ask her please." He said with a smile.

"Ok I'll be back in a flash." And with that she left the room.

Rory went to the waiting area and spotted her mom in one of the chairs. She walked over and sat down. After a couple of seconds of silence Lorelai spoke in a low voice: "How is he?"

"Do you want to see for yourself?" Rory asked back.

"Luke knows I'm here?" Lorelai asked stunned.

"Well your promise of a huge cup of coffee might have given you away." Rory said with a smirk.

"And he wants me to come in?" Lorelai questioned still not believing Luke wanted to really see her.

"Well he asked me to ask you how you want to handle the situation. He is making up his own mind right now but yeah he wants you to come in." She replied honestly.

"How bad is it Rory?" Lorelai softly asked and tears came to her eyes.

"We don't know that yet. They ran some tests and now we have to wait till a doctor comes and talks to Luke. The only thing we know is that he doesn't have any feelings in his legs and a cut on his right thigh which needed stitches." Rory explained.

When Lorelai heard about Luke not feeling anything in his legs she inhaled sharply and put her hand over her mouth in shock. A tear escaped her eye but Lorelai let it flow down freely. Her gut was right after all. There was more.

"How did you get in here?" Rory changed the subject and became curious how her mother managed to get past the hospital policy.

"Oh well." Lorelai stammered and shyly lifted her left hand and wiggled the ring finger.

"I see." Rory lightly smirked and continued in a low voice: "If someone asks I'm his daughter."

Mother and daughter smiled at each other for a second. Rory gave her mom a tight hug and then stood up.

"So tell me." She said. "What do you want to do? Go in or stay out here?

"If he wants me to come in I'll come in. It's up to Luke." Lorelai replied and Rory could see in her eyes how scared her mother was.

"You scared?" Rory asked.

"Yes." Lorelai answered truthfully.

"Me too." And with that Rory made her way back into Luke's room.

It seemed like minutes since Rory went back into Luke's room and Lorelai started to pace in the waiting area. In fact it only had been a couple of seconds really before Rory stepped back out of the room. She already saw on Luke's face he was ok with Lorelai being there when she entered the room. Rory didn't even need to utter the question Luke just nodded his head and gave her a small smile.

"He gave the green light." Rory told Lorelai who slightly jumped since she didn't hear her daughter approaching her.

"Ok good. Good." She stammered and rubbed her palms on her jeans nervously.

"He doesn't bite mom." Rory tried to calm her down. Lorelai had to laugh a bit and raised an eyebrow at her daughter.

"You are not Taylor or Kirk so you should be safe." Rory chuckled and made her way back to Luke's room. "You coming or what?" She asked back over her shoulder.

Lorelai took a deep breath and followed her daughter to the room. Rory had already entered and sat down on her chair. Lorelai slowly pushed the door open and stepped inside. Her eyes immediately went to Luke and her breath got caught in her lungs. She hesitated slightly in the doorway. She turned her gaze away from Luke and took the last steps into the room. Meanwhile Rory had gotten the second chair and placed it right next to her.

Luke had watched how Lorelai entered the room and how nervous and shocked at the same time she seemed to be when she saw him lying there. She turned her gaze down and moved over to Rory and took a seat next to her. When she looked back up at him he gave her a soft smile which she returned. Tears willed up in her eyes and Luke saw in her face that she had to fight hard to not let them spill over.

"Hey." Luke was the first to speak and looked directly at Lorelai.

"Hey." Lorelai whispered back.

"Rory told you what we know so far?" He asked her and Lorelai only nodded. The lump in her throat was too thick and heavy to let any more words escape. She tried to swallow it down but it was too stubborn. She couldn't believe Luke was lying in a hospital bed; immobile for the moment or maybe forever? Luke never got sick. Maybe the sniffles but nothing major and now he was in the hospital with a severe injury. Luke hates hospitals. How is he going to go through that when he has to stay in a place he hates?

"You ok Lorelai?" Luke interrupted her thoughts when he saw the troubled look on Lorelai's face.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" Lorelai shifted her gaze back to Luke's eyes.

"Well besides the non existing feelings in my legs I feel fine. You on the other hand look terrible."

"Gee thanks." Lorelai interrupted him.

"No offense but you do. Normally I'm the one who looks like a white sheet when I'm in a hospital. I never thought you had a problem with it, too." He defended himself.

"Your non existing feelings in your legs kind of worry me and my brain is going to places it probably shouldn't before we don't know what the doctors have to say." She shot back at him. Lorelai couldn't believe he was so calm about his situation. He could be paralyzed for life.

"It's probably just a stupid bruise. Don't worry about it. I will be fine in no time." He dismissed her worries.

"You don't know that Luke and I can tell your gut is also telling you it's not going to be that easy." She said with a shaking voice; the tears came back to her eyes once more. Luke looked at her defeated but pleaded for her to not go any further with the discussion.

"Why don't we just wait for the doctor to show up and tell us what is wrong." Rory said calmly. There was no need to fight about someone's gut feeling when they knew nothing about the real extent of his injury.

As if on cue the door opened and a man in a white lab coat entered the room.

----------------

To be continued

----------------------------

If life hands you lemons, ask for tequila and salt !


	6. Chapter 6

Better start with the disclaimer before I get into any trouble: Not mine and to be honest after season 6 and 7 I don't even want to own it and those who do should hide in a hole.

Thank you for your amazing reviews guys. Keep them coming.

AN: I'm not a doctor or had any experiences with that kind of injury. I researched on the internet and asked a friend about certain details. Thanks to Franzi for the help in that department. If something is not as is should be in real life I'm sorry and I hope I don't offend anyone with it.

If you find mistakes, keep 'em.

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Chapter VI

Luke, Lorelai and Rory fell silent the minute the door opened and the doctor entered the room. Lorelai instinctively grabbed Rory's hand and squeezed it hard. Luke glanced over to them and saw their eyes filling with worry. They hold tightly onto each others hands and it seemed to Luke as if they were holding their breaths in fear of what might come. His eyes traveled over to the doctor who meanwhile had moved further into the room.

"Mr. Danes I'm Dr. McCoy. " The physician introduced himself and both Luke's and Rory's gaze went immediately in Lorelai's direction.

"What?" Lorelai asked innocently but at the same time a wicked grin emerged on her face.

"It's not as if I had asked him yet if his first name is Leonard." She said taken aback and looked from Luke to Rory and then to the doctor in the room; her grin widening.

"Don't." Luke interrupted before she could ask the poor guy who looked confused from one to the other; clearly not getting what they were talking about. Luke focused his eyes back on the doctor and urged him on to continue.

"Don't pay her any attention. It's safer for all of us." Luke simply stated.

"Hey." Lorelai shouted out and when she felt Rory squeeze her hand hard she settled back into her chair with a huff and a pout on her face. "Mean." She mumbled under her breath.

Dr. McCoy shook his head and couldn't suppress the smile on his face.

"I have your results Mr. Danes and I'm glad your family is here with you." The doctor said; trying to get them back on track.

"Oh they are not…" Luke started to get a bit uncomfortable since he didn't know how Lorelai would react to the doctor's assumption. He looked at Lorelai with apologetic eyes but Rory jumped up and interrupted Luke from speaking further.

"Yes." Rory said before he could out them as not being his family and therefore risk getting them thrown out of the hospital.

"We are glad we made it." She continued and looked at her mother; squeezing her hand once more. Lorelai's eyes traveled from Rory over to Luke and a small smile appeared on her face. She simply nodded and looked back at the doctor.

"If this is going to be a problem Mr. Danes I have to ask your daughter and wife to leave the room while I discuss the results with you." Dr. McCoy stated and looked pointedly at Luke.

"No doctor. It's not going to be a problem." Luke assured the man. "They can stay. I want them to stay." Luke emphasized the last sentence and looked directly at the girls. Both smiled softly at him and Rory gave him a silent "thanks".

"Ok." The doctor said and continued: "As I said we have the results back and I can gladly confirm that nothing is broken and there are no internal damages; just a few scratches and contusions."

"That's good news right?" Rory asked before the doctor was able to go on. She was relieved but still not convinced it would be that easy.

Dr. McCoy looked at Rory and said: "Yes that is good news."

"The cut on your thigh was pretty deep and we had to stitch it up but you already knew that since we did it in the ER earlier." He turned his focus back on Luke. "As I can see they already hooked you up on an IV, which keeps you hydrated for now. We are also giving you antibiotics since we don't want the wound to get infected. You are also getting some pain killers just in case."

"Pain killers? What for? I can't feel my legs anyway which I hope you can explain to me and tell me how long this is going to last." Luke said impatiently.

"The pain killers are just a precaution Mr. Danes." The doctor carried on calmly.

"About your legs and the lack of feeling in them when that shelf fell on your lower extremities your back got bruised pretty badly. We took some x-rays to make sure what exactly caused the paralysis. We had to make sure with what we are dealing here."

"Would you just come out with it already?" Luke grumbled at the doctor.

"Luke." Lorelai spoke softly and looked at him which seemed to calm him down a bit. Luke looked into Lorelai's pleading eyes and heaved a heavy sigh.

"Sorry." He said and gave the doctor a look which told him to carry on with his diagnosis.

"It's ok." Dr. McCoy said and continued.

"The shelf that fell on you hit one of the vertebrae of your backbone and caused a hematoma or simplified a bruise. That effusion of blood is now putting pressure on your spinal cord which leads to the paralysis of your legs. To complicate matters further the x ray showed that the dorsal has small hairlines."

"Hairlines? But earlier you said nothing was broken." Lorelai interrupted him; tears welling up in her eyes and she grabbed for Rory's hand again.

"That still holds truth. Hairlines means there are small cracks in the vertebra but it is not fractured which is really a good thing even though at the moment it doesn't look like that to you. We don't need to operate which always holds some danger and hairlines heal faster."

"How fast?" Luke wanted to know.

"It depends. We are going to give you an anti-inflammatory and Heparin which is a blood thinner. Those are going to help your body to catabolize the effusion of blood. Once we have that accomplished the feeling in your legs should return slowly and when the hairlines are healed we can start rehab and build back up the muscles." The doctor explained further.

"Whoa wait a second here." Luke intercepted. He pinched the bridge of his nose and thought for a second. When he got his questions in line he looked back up at the doctor.

"First tell me how long it takes for the bruise to vanish and the feelings to come back?" Luke asked.

"The effusion should be gone in three to four weeks. As I mentioned earlier we have you on an anti-inflammatory which usually accelerates the process. Each body is different and has its own speed of healing but we should be good with the three to four weeks estimation. Concerning the feelings in your legs you should feel the first prickle around that time as well. When the bruise gets smaller the pressure on your spinal cord decreases and the feeling returns." Dr. McCoy finished.

"Ok three to four weeks." Luke mumbled to himself. He tried to wrap his mind around the fact he has to stay in this place for that long. The room was quiet for a few minutes since Luke seemed to have got lost in his own head and tried to process the information the doctor just gave him and what that would mean for him.

"Eh." Lorelai broke the silence and all eyes went on her.

"What about the hairlines? And you said something about rebuilding muscles afterwards. What is that supposed to mean?" Lorelai asked.

"The hairlines will heal on their own and the vertebrae will be as strong as it was before the accident but we can only ensure for this to happen with absolute bed rest and no movement of the back at all. You will also get something like a corsage you have to wear all the time. It will keep your backbone in place and doesn't allow you to move too much. The vertebrae shouldn't be moved otherwise there is going to be a constant irritation which would slow down the healing process." The doctor explained.

"Ok so the bruise will take three to four weeks till it's gone and the feeling will come back around that time too, right?" Lorelai summed up the information and Dr. McCoy agreed with a simple nod.

"The hairlines will heal themselves." Lorelai continued. "How long is this going to take and I still don't get the muscle rebuilding thing."

"The healing process of the vertebrae will at least take up to eight weeks."

"Eight weeks?" Luke interrupted the doctor incredulously. "You are telling me I have to be in this place for eight weeks?"

"I'm afraid so, Sir" Doctor McCoy said calmly. "To answer your question about rebuilding the muscles; as I said Mr. Danes is on absolute bed rest which means he is not allowed to walk around. We can only treat his legs with massages to keep up a good blood circulation and with passive movements like bending and stretching them but that is not going to prevent the muscles from degenerating. Once those eight weeks are over we can start with rehab and get Mr. Danes back on his feet."

"I have to learn how to walk again?" Luke asked and at the same time something else registered with him. His eyes went wide; he shook his head and mumbled under his breath: "Oh my god this is so not happening."

Lorelai and Rory looked at Luke and then at each other not knowing what just went through his head. Lorelai looked over to where the doctor stood and realized he had understood what just registered with Luke. Her eyes traveled back to Luke who had put his hand to his forehead; slightly rubbing it with his fingers.

"For the whole eight weeks?" Luke's muffled voice came from under his hand. He was too embarrassed to look up and a blush crept up his face.

"No." The doctor said and Luke let out the breath he was holding but still kept his face hidden behind his hand.

"Once the first feeling comes back you are going to be in control of that again as well. I would say after two to three weeks depending on when you feel the first prickles in your legs."

"Excuse me but what are you talking about?" Lorelai interrupted the conversation since she still didn't know what was going on and neither did Rory. "I don't have any experience with that kind of injury so could you clue us in please. I so don't get the cryptic talk here." Lorelai pleaded and looked at Luke. He was still hiding behind his hand and didn't show any signs of moving or telling her any time soon what they were talking about. She turned her eyes to the doctor.

"Well." He started and looked once again in Luke's direction to make sure it was ok for him to explain the situation to the girls. Since Luke didn't move a muscle he continued.

"Since Mr. Danes doesn't have any feelings in his lower extremities he is also not capable of controlling other body functions concerning that region." Doctor McCoy stated and looked at Lorelai who tried to process what he just said.

"I have to wear a freaking diaper and pee in a bag." Luke burst out in frustration and threw his hands up in the air. Lorelai and Rory were shocked and didn't know what to say. They grabbed each others hands and hold on tight.

"But…this is not. I mean once…Well you said." Lorelai stammered. She took a deep breath and tried again: "But you said it's going to be ok once the feeling is back in his legs right?"

"Yes once the feeling comes back we can remove the catheter and Mr. Danes doesn't need a diaper anymore. Once he is in control of those muscles again we can take care of that in a different way." The doctor explained.

"In a different way?" Lorelai asked.

"This can't get any more embarrassing." Luke grumbled from his bed.

"He is on absolute bed rest so he is not allowed to go to the bathroom." McCoy stated.

"Oh I get it now." Lorelai said and crunched up her nose once the final extend to the doctor's statement registered with her. She looked at Luke and saw that he was still red in his face; his embarrassment visible to all three in the room. She felt so sorry for him since she knew how much he hated it to be dependent on someone. He was always a very private person and although he never had a problem with being naked around her she knew he felt uncomfortable in front of others when he left his flannel in the closet. Now there will be nurses and doctors and she can only imagine how freaked out he must be on the inside.

"Ok that would be it on my part unless there are still open questions." The doctor said.

"No I got enough information for one day." Luke muttered and let his head drop back onto the pillow.

Doctor McCoy looked at Lorelai and Rory who just shook their heads no.

"But if any questions come up later on don't hesitate to ask." He said and moved toward the door. "I will send up a nurse with the corsage for your back. Have a good night and I will see you tomorrow." He finished and left the room.

A heavy silence fell over the room. Lorelai and Rory still clung to one another and hold each other by their hands. Luke had dropped his head back onto his pillow and dragged his left arm over his eyes; shaking his head silently.

"I can't stay in this place for eight weeks." Luke grumbled after a few minutes. "I have a business to run damn it." He heaved a heavy sigh and slammed his arm back down on the bed and looked up at the ceiling.

"Well there is not much you can do about it Luke." Lorelai said logically.

"Thanks for the encouraging words." He replied sarcastically; still looking at the ceiling.

"Caesar ran the place more than once on his own and you've got Lane." Lorelai tried to reason.

"I can't leave Caesar in charge for eight weeks. Hell even one week was bad enough. All those specials he came up with and his stupid frozen bananas. I don't even want to know what he is going to do to my diner when I'm out of there for eight weeks." Luke started to rant.

"I can't believe those stupid bananas are still not out of your system." Lorelai chuckled. Luke finally turned his gaze toward the girls and glared at Lorelai.

"You have any idea for how long those frozen bananas haunted me?" He asked and when Lorelai shrugged with her shoulders he said: "I still get asked if I serve them. He is going to turn the whole place upside down. I will be lucky if my apartment is still the same when I get back. He is not able to do the paper work and keep track on what we need to order and when. Some of my delivery guys need my signature otherwise they won't leave the product."

"What about Lane? Can't she do it?" Lorelai interrupted him.

"Lane is too pregnant to do all of that. She has enough problems off her own with all the baby stuff she has to do and I don't want to unload my problems on her. The signature problem can't be solved since they need MY signature." He groaned frustrated.

"Ok calm down. There is no need to grump at us." Lorelai said calmly.

"I'm sorry." Luke sighed and turned his gaze back towards the ceiling.

"What about Zach?" Rory asked after a few seconds of silence. Luke and Lorelai simultaneously turned their heads to Rory and looked questioningly at her. "Well he already pitched in for Lane from time to time and I guess they could need the extra cash for when the babies come." Rory shrugged it off.

"Zach worked at the diner?" Lorelai asked astounded and looked at Luke for an answer.

"For a while now since Lane has to carry enough around with the twins and I just want her off her feet as much as possible. They need the money though and Zach offered to replace her and well he is good at it." He simply stated.

"I didn't know that." Lorelai sadly whispered.

"You avoided me and the diner and according to Hello Magazine you haven't been much in town as well so how could you have known." Luke returned with an even voice.

"I was not…" Lorelai's words got stuck in her throat by Luke's direct approach.

"There is no need to go there now and it's not going to help anyone if you still do." Rory suddenly interrupted them loudly. "Can we focus on stuff we can actually do? Please."

Rory grabbed her bag from the floor and started to rummage through it. After a few seconds she pulled out a small notepad and a pen. She took off the cap and started to make a list.

"You sure are made for a reporter hon." Lorelai said and started to chuckle. Luke's lips turned into a small smile and the tension in the room was broken.

"Ok I have to call Caesar and tell him what happened and that he has to open tomorrow. I need to contact Zach and ask him if he is up for more work." Luke started to brainstorm.

"Oh I can tell Zach and Lane and hash out some more details with them since I wanted to stop by their place later anyway." Rory interrupted.

"You are not coming home?" Lorelai asked taken aback but she could already imagine why Rory wouldn't come home with her.

"I called her before I came to Stars Hollow and I haven't seen her for a while. I need some girlfriend bonding time with her." Rory tried to cover up her true intentions but knew her mom would see right through it.

"Lane can probably use it too with just the boys and Mrs. Kim around." Lorelai tried to hide her disappointment and avoided eye contact with both Luke and Rory.

Luke was fuming on the inside and balled up his hands into fists after witnessing the scene before him. He was mentally kicking Christopher's ass around the town square again for putting a rift between mother and daughter and he was angry at Lorelai for letting Christopher do that to them. The woman before him was just a weak shell of her former strong self and Luke wondered when she lost her independent, strong-willed mind and surrendered herself to such a weak guy like Christopher who did nothing more than cause harm to both girls in the past and apparently still does.

Was it maybe even his fault? Luke slightly shook his head. He couldn't go there now. He had to take care of himself, his health and business. She got into that situation all by herself. She chose him and said yes. It was not his place to worry about that anymore; not even as her friend. Where they even friends? If the accident didn't happen she wouldn't even waste a thought on him but she is concerned; she still cares and he knows he would, too.

Luke heaved another big sigh and squeezed his eyes shut. Lorelai, whose gaze was still on her shoes, lifted her eyes up and looked at Luke. Rory stopped pretending to write on the list and looked up at Luke as well.

"Are you tired?" Rory asked taking his sigh the wrong way.

"Maybe we should leave so you can get some rest. It was a long day and Rory has to get to Lane and Zach. You need to call Caesar and didn't the doctor say something about a nurse coming up?" Lorelai reasoned. She knew that heavy sigh. Luke only used it when he was angry or frustrated with something and debating it inside his head. Taking the last thing that was spoken into consideration she had a good idea of what went on in his mind. She didn't know how much Rory told Luke but she knew Luke and his ability to read both of them pretty well.

"Yes I'm exhausted but you don't have to leave." Luke said calmly. "We didn't make real progress on the list yet."

"Luke you need your rest and I can hash out some stuff with Lane and Zach tonight. We can put a plan together for the next few days till we come up with something for the entire eight weeks. We don't need to do that tonight." Rory reasoned with him. "I'll even have Lane call Caesar so you don't have to do it. That way all parties know what's going to happen tomorrow anyway. I'll come by in the afternoon and we can get through more details."

"Rory this is your weekend off and I don't want you to spend it here with me in the hospital." Luke once again tried to argue with Rory.

"I told you before you are more important than my stupid leisure time." Rory said strictly. "We'll have to figure out how to keep the diner up and running until you are back. You are not getting rid off me period." Rory finished with a stern nod.

"Boy that's a strict one." Luke said in Lorelai's direction but couldn't suppress a small smile.

"Tell me about it." Lorelai returned with a dramatic eye-roll.

"Now play nice or I won't have any coffee with you tomorrow morning." Rory said pointing a finger at Lorelai. Lorelai gaped at her words, put her hands over her heart and said:

"Don't even joke about that. You know your weak mother can't live without the coffee especially shared with her favorite daughter."

"Ok I'll let it slide this time." Rory said playing along. She put the notepad and pen back into her bag and turned back to Luke.

"So I'll talk to Lane and Zach and put a plan together for the next couple of days at least. I will be here in the afternoon so we can discuss what we came up with and what else we need to do. Sounds good?" She asked him.

"Sounds good and …" Luke hesitated for a second and looked at Lorelai and back at Rory. "…thanks. For everything"

"You don't have to thank us Luke. That's what friends are there for." Rory said and moved to Luke's bed to hug him goodbye. Luke patted her back with his left hand and whispered:

"He is an idiot for not appreciating what an amazing daughter he has."

"I know." Rory whispered back. "April is a lucky girl." She finished and moved away from Luke. She grabbed her bag and went out of the room without waiting for Lorelai to say goodbye to Luke.

Lorelai was surprised by Rory's quick exit and looked from the slowly closing door over to Luke. Judging by the look on Luke's face Lorelai guessed that Rory must have said something to him which made him feel sorry and sad for her daughter. Something he wished he could take away from her and make it better.

"What was that all about?" She finally asked Luke.

"Talk to her Lorelai." Luke told her in a serious tone.

"Ok." Lorelai said slowly. She turned her gaze to the closed door and back to Luke. "I better go after her then." She pointed to the door with her thumb and moved toward it.

"Don't let him break that bond, too. This is too important Lorelai. You both wouldn't survive it this time." Luke said in a soft voice as Lorelai was about to exit the room. She hung her head in defeat and looked down sadly. When she looked back up Luke saw tears welling up in her eyes. She swallowed down the lump in her throat and sighed.

"Good night Luke." Lorelai whispered and left the room.

"Good night Lorelai." Luke whispered back and watched the door slowly closing behind her.

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Tbc

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If life hands you lemons ask for tequila and salt.


	7. Chapter 7

Better start with the disclaimer before I get into any trouble: Not mine and to be honest after season 6 and 7 I don't even want to own it and those who do should hide in a hole.

Thank you for your amazing reviews guys and for pointing out mistakes I made. Keep them coming.

AN: Sorry Kasia but I couldn't leave her out of this one 'ducks'

Thanks to Vaso again for reading my stuff first and for giving me ideas for future chapters.

If you find mistakes, keep 'em.

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Chapter VII

The door closed with a thud behind Lorelai. She remained in her spot for a couple more seconds and looked down the hallway. First she checked to her right and then to her left. She sighed audibly. Luke was right. She needed to talk to Rory. They needed to sit down and talk it all out. She needed to know how Rory was really feeling about her and Christopher. She knew there was tension between all three when she and Chris told her about the elopement but she thought Rory accepted it and was happy for them.

_Why didn't I see it? _Lorelai asked herself._ Well you hardly saw your daughter after you got married. You were too busy playing house with your husband. _The voice in her head answered her._ But we had our usual phone conversations, Friday night dinner. _She argued._ Pretending everything is fine over the phone is always easier and when was the last time you attended a dinner? _The voice asked._ Well. _She stammered._ See you can't even remember. _The voice accused._ Today Emily cancelled on us because they had some function to go to. _She defended. _She rather spent Christmas is England with her boyfriend than with you and her family. _The voice made a final statement.

Lorelai sighed again and leaned against the wall behind her. Even when they saw each other during a Friday night dinner Lorelai and Rory couldn't talk the way they used to when they hung out at home.

"She wasn't there for the holidays." Lorelai whispered to herself and pushed her body off the wall. She slowly started to walk down the hallway and made her way down to the parking lot. Lorelai lazily scanned the rows of cars on her way to the jeep and bit her lower lip when she spotted Rory's car. She paused for a second and when she saw movement in the front seat she walked over.

Lorelai carefully knocked on the window in order not to scare her daughter. She saw that Rory was on the phone when she turned around to see who was interrupting her conversation. Rory held out one finger to signal her mother she would be done with the call in a second. Lorelai gave her a small smile and tightened the jacket around her. Rory ended the talk and got out of the car.

"Sorry I didn't know you were on the phone." Lorelai apologized.

"It's ok mom. I just wanted to give Logan a quick update on my whereabouts this weekend." Rory dismissed it.

"Oh how is he?" Lorelai tried to ease into the big talk with some small talk first but Rory intercepted her plans.

"He is doing fine mom." She said. "Look I know you want to talk about what just happened back there but can we not do this now?" Rory looked pleadingly at her mother. "It was a long day and I had too many fights for one day already. I'm exhausted and this isn't exactly a parking lot discussion."

"No you are right. We should do this some place else." Lorelai agreed. "Tomorrow morning how is that? You promised me coffee. Nine a.m. at the Crap Shack?" Lorelai suggested with a soft smile.

"Mom." Rory didn't want to break her mother's heart but she couldn't see her father just yet.

"He is going to take Gigi to her grandmother for the day." Lorelai said and looked down sadly.

"I'm sorry mom." Rory apologized and felt bad for putting her mother in the uncomfortable position. She thought she could be happy for her but everything seemed just wrong. Her mother entered the relationship with her father for the wrong reasons and too soon. She jumped into that marriage without thinking and knowing her father he probably only saw his chance to finally marry her no matter the consequences. Her mother more and more withdrew from her old life in Star Hollows which she loved so much in the past and became – what did she become?

And her father? Her mom told her once that Luke had this gut thing. If it's right, it's right and your gut will tell you that. When her parents started dating her gut told her it would affect the small bond she finally had with her father. They had their little routine down and for once he was interested in her and not just because he would get closer to Lorelai again and Rory was right. He hardly called her anymore. He never asked her out on a father-daughter date. He was not interested in her life at Yale, how she was doing, if everything is turning out the way she wanted it to. He threw her out of her home. Well her stuff but her stuff was her.

"Hey there is no reason for you to feel sorry kid." Lorelai interrupted Rory's thoughts and gently rubbed her arms. "None of this is your fault okay?" Lorelai said sternly. Rory nodded slightly and averted her eyes.

"Okay." She mumbled to the ground.

"Hey." Lorelai said softly. She put a finger under Rory's chin to lift up her face so she could look into her eyes. "We'll figure it out sweets." She said in a determined tone and pulled her daughter to her for a tight hug. Both girls had a hard time to keep from crying and took in a shaky breath.

"I'm not letting you slip away again." Lorelai whispered into Rory's hair and a few tears escaped her eyes. Rory hugged her mother tighter and tried to cover the sob she couldn't hold in any longer.

Lorelai pulled away from Rory and looked at her tear stricken face. She cupped her daughter's face in her hands and wiped the tears away with her thumbs. Rory kept her eyes closed and drew in deep breaths to pull herself back together. Lorelai placed a kiss on Rory's forehead and pulled her in for another hug.

"We'll get through this." She reassured her daughter once more. "Tomorrow at nine we'll start okay?" Lorelai asked and Rory only nodded into her shoulder. "Say hi to Lane for me will you?" Lorelai requested and Rory nodded again. "Drive safe hon." And with that Lorelai withdrew from her daughter and walked towards her jeep. She whipped away her own tears and gulped in some deep breaths before she reached her car.

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9

Rory put the car in park, turned off the ignition and looked at the house to her right. She glanced at her watch. _Almost midnight_. She sighed. There was still light in the living room and Rory started to feel guilty since she knew Lane needed her rest. She sighed again and took her bag from the passenger's seat. She made her way to the door and lightly knocked. After a couple of seconds Lane opened and Rory got in without saying a word. She dropped the bag on the floor, took in a deep breath and pressed the air slowly back out of her lungs.

Although Lane was curious about Luke's condition and why Rory was so exhausted, the only thing Lane wanted to do was to give her best friend a hug and so she did. Rory hadn't even turned around fully when Lane threw her arms around her and hugged her as best as she could with her pregnant belly. After a couple of minutes Lane slowly withdrew and looked at Rory.

"You want some tea or does that call for a coffee?" Lane asked and made her way to the kitchen.

"No tea is fine right now. I don't need to add more to the pep pills I already had today." Rory sighed and followed Lane. "But let me do it Lane. Go sit down. It's bad enough I kept you up that long." Rory said taking the water heater from Lane.

"Don't worry about it. Those two would have kept me up anyway. I'm not sure if they practice soccer or dancing in there." Lane dismissed it and waddled over to the couch. When the tea was ready Rory took the two cups and headed over to Lane. They took a sip and stayed quiet for a few minutes.

"Long day?" Lane stated after Rory had yawn and settled back into the couch.

"Longest day of my life." She sighed and looked over to Lane.

"Okay Jack Bauer spill." Lane said.

"Oh I think you have to torture me first." Rory quipped back.

"Alright. You want to know what I have to go through in order to get those two out of me." Lane stated with a knowing look.

"I'll surrender. I'll surrender." Rory held up her hands. "Not fair." She pouted but couldn't keep from smiling afterwards.

"So spill otherwise I'll go and get the video." Lane warned.

"It all started with me driving through the Hollow before going home since I wanted to check if Taylor had planned something crazy for the weekend. Mom doesn't bring home any dish anymore and we two haven't spoken in a while either. So I drove through town and saw the ambulance and fire truck at Luke's. I couldn't make out what was wrong so I drove home. Maybe mom knew something after all you know? So when I got to the house my father was there, too and I felt uncomfortable talking to mom about Luke since you know." Rory trailed off.

"Sore subject." Lane chipped in.

"Exactly." Rory concurred. "So after a while I was fed up with beating around the bush and told them what I saw. Mom called Babette to see if she knew something. She didn't either and I don't know but I think the town is kind of mad at mom or something." Rory trailed off again.

"Let's leave that for another time Rory." Lane interjected and Rory looked at her questioningly. "Believe me you don't want to get into that as well today."

"Okay." Rory answered. "Well my father acted according to his maturity level and told us we were overreacting since it was just the diner guy."

"Asshole." Slipped from Lane's mouth. Her eyes went wide and she apologized: "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Rory calmed her. "So I told them I had to find out and I thought Mom would come with me right away but she hesitated. Can you believe that?" Rory asked but didn't give Lane the chance to answer her. "So I left the house but Mom got her act together and followed me. We went to the diner and it was in fact Luke who got injured. They put him on a gurney and all. I asked what him was wrong but he didn't know either and the paramedics insisted on getting him to the hospital."

"I told him I would follow them and Mom was in total shock. I mean you could see it in her eyes. So again I assumed she would go with me but she hesitated again because _What do you think your father's reaction will be when I tell him I'm going to the hospital with you?_" Rory said in her best Lorelai imitation. "I was so mad at her and I just needed to get away. I mean it was Luke. He was hurt and we didn't know how bad it was but yet she was worried about my perfectly healthy father and his too big ego. So I went home to get my car and ran into him and he had the nerve to forbid me to go after the ambulance or even leave the house."

"He what?" Lane asked disbelievingly.

"Unbelievable right?" Rory snorted and continued: "He even blocked my way through the front door. He went all _I'm your father. You do what I tell you if you like it or not _on me."

"How did you get out of the house?" Lane asked her curiously. Being an expert on sneaking out herself she wanted to see how much she had rubbed off on Rory.

"Backdoor." Rory simply stated like it was a piece of cake.

"Amateur." Lane chuckled. "And he lives in that house for how long now?" She said shaking her head.

"In a way I'm glad he is not the sharpest tool in the shed or a second Mrs. Kim." Rory sniggered. Both girls went quiet and let what Rory just had said sink in a bit.

"I can't set foot into that house again when he is there." Rory half whispered and started to fidget with her fingers.

"Sure you can." Lane said. "Once everything has calmed down you guys will make up again."

"Did you know he threw all my stuff out to make room for Gigi?" Rory looked at Lane and her eyes filled with tears.

"He got rid off your bed, wallpaper, Colonel Clucker?" Lane asked in disbelieve. "Oh my god." She gasped. "Your books?"

"I got replaced and Mom went along with it. She probably didn't even realize it since she was too busy playing house with that husband of hers." Rory said sadly and a few tears made their way down her cheeks. Lane couldn't believe what she had heard. This was way more serious than she thought. She knew the marriage - or was it just Christopher? - influenced Lorelai the wrong way concerning the town and even her friend Sookie but she had no idea how bad it was on the relationship of mother and daughter. Lane abandoned her cup of tea and took Rory in her arms.

The comforting moment however was cut short when a cell phone started buzzing on the table. Both girls let go of each other and looked at the phone.

"It's Luke's." Lane said. "Zack found it on the floor in the storeroom and took it with him."

"Shouldn't you answer it or at least look who it is?" Rory asked Lane.

"It can only be one person and you have the information she needs." Lane replied and handed the cell phone to Rory. She looked down at the cell and saw April's name flashing on and off. She took a deep breath and answered.

"Hello April." Rory tried to sound normal but it came out very tentative.

"Who is this?" April asked confused.

"Oh I'm sorry. This is Rory. We have met once in Philadelphia when you met your cousin Jess, remember?" Rory tried to explain and hoped April would remember her.

"Yeah I remember you. You are Lorelai's daughter right?" April inquired.

"Yes that's me." Rory confirmed.

"Why are you answering my dad's phone? I tried to reach him for over an hour and now that finally someone picks up the phone it's not him." April asked.

"Your dad can't answer the phone tonight April. He is not here at the moment." Rory replied. She wasn't sure if she should tell her what happened to Luke or if Luke wanted to do it himself or if he wanted April to know in the first place. She looked at Lane for help but she only shrugged her shoulders and mouthed that she should tell her.

"Are you going to tell me what happened with him or do I have to call every hospital in the area?" April asked impatiently.

"No, no you don't have to do that." Rory hurried with her answer. "I'm just not sure if I should let your dad tell you, you know."

"Well apparently he is not able to do that so I would appreciate it if you do." April said. "Please Rory." She begged.

"Okay." Rory took a deep breath and started: "A shelf fell on his back and bruised it pretty badly. One of the vertebrae has hairlines and because of the bruise he can't feel or move his legs. Everything else is okay though. He just needs to stay at the hospital for quiet some time. The hairlines have to heal and once the bruise is gone the feelings in his legs should return. That's what the doctor told us at least. They cannot tell for sure and he needs to build up his muscles again."

Rory finished and waited for April to wrap her mind around the facts. It was pretty quiet on the other end of the line and Rory wasn't sure if April stayed with her or not.

"April? You still there?" She asked concerned.

"Em yeah I'm still here." April stammered.

"Did you understand everything I told you or do you have questions?" Rory wanted to make sure April understood her right.

"Yeah I got everything." April confirmed. "How long is it going to take?"

"The doctor said the bruise should be gone in three to four weeks and the feelings should return then as well. The problem is the hairlines that have to heal first. That will take up to eight weeks and after that Luke has to go into rehab to rebuild the muscles he lost during the bed rest." Rory explained.

"Eight weeks. Wow." April and Lane said simultaneously. "I bet dad is thrilled about that." April continued.

"There is not much he can do about it." Rory replied sadly.

"Is there any way I can contact him tomorrow?" April asked hopefully.

"I'm not sure he can use his cell phone in the hospital but maybe there is a phone in his room. We have to check that tomorrow and we are going to call you with the information. Is that okay with you April?" Rory asked concerned.

"Like you said we can't do much about it right now. I wish I wasn't all the way out here right now. I want to see him." April said miserably.

"I'll make sure he gets everything he needs April. Don't worry. He'll be up and running in no time. I'll promise." Rory reassured her.

"Okay so please call me as soon as you get any information about how I can contact my dad okay?" She pleaded.

"Sure thing April. Don't worry too much. Luke wouldn't want that and we'll talk to you tomorrow." Rory said.

"Thank you Rory. Bye." April answered and disconnected the call.

"Bye." Rory whispered and put the cell phone back on the table. She took her cup and sipped the now chilled tea.

"So." Lane started slowly. "Eight weeks in the hospital and after that rehab for another couple of weeks eh."

"Looks that way." Rory sighed and leaned back into the couch again.

"What's going to happen to the diner? Can he stay out of business that long?" Lane asked concerned.

"That's something we have to figure out tomorrow and one more reason I'm staying here tonight." Rory answered and let out a big yawn.

"You preach it sister." Lane responded with a yawn of her own. "Those two finally calmed down, too and I should seek my chance." Lane got up and brought the two cups into the kitchen.

"You know where everything is?" Lane more stated than asked Rory.

"Yep." Rory replied simply. "I have to meet my mother at nine. Do you think we will be able to put something together before that? Otherwise I'll call her and move it up to ten or even later." Rory asked.

"Let's see how far we get tomorrow and decide then okay?" Lane replied. She rubbed her belly softly: „They tend to wake me early so we should have some time to hash out a few points. Have a good night."

"You, too, Lane." Rory said and turned back to the couch to get settled in for the night.

Tbc

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If Life hands you Lemons ask for Tequila and Salt.

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I wish you all happy holidays, a lot of presents and make it safe into the next year.


	8. Chapter 8

Better start with the disclaimer before I get into any trouble: Not mine and to be honest after season 6 and 7 I don't even want to own it and those who do should hide in a hole.

Thank you for your amazing reviews guys and for pointing out mistakes I made. Keep them coming.

AN: Boy that chapter took longer than expected but too many things came up lately – life and being in the wrong mood. I'm really sorry I left you hanging for so long and I can't promise to be faster with the next chapter since a couple of things are coming up. I hope you are still with me.

Thanks to Vaso again for reading my stuff first and for giving me ideas for future chapters.

If you find mistakes, keep 'em.

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Chapter VIII

_The worst part isn't even over yet_, Lorelai thought when she pulled into her driveway. She didn't even pay much attention when she parked her jeep in its usual spot right under the tree. She turned off the engine, took the key out of the ignition and heaved a sigh. She closed her eyes for a second before she opened the door and climbed out of the car. Her eyes traveled toward the house. Everything was quiet and not one single light was lit; not even the one on the porch.

_That's odd_, she thought. Lorelai turned around and only then realized Chris' Volvo was not in the driveway. She sighed once more and dragged her tired feet into the house.

"Chris?" She called out even though she already knew he wasn't home. She hung up her coat in the foyer, dropped the keys right next to the answering machine and saw the light blinking. _That has to wait_, she grumbled in her head and moved into the kitchen. She grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge when her eyes caught a glimpse of a note hanging on the refrigerator's door.

"Lor,

I took Gigi to her grandmother already. We are going to stay there for the weekend. Gives you and Rory some time to cool off and get your heads straight.

Chris"

"Cool off and get our heads straight? He's got to be kidding me." She fumed and tossed the piece of paper angrily on the table. She unscrewed the water bottle and took a sip. She leaned against the kitchen counter and glanced over at Rory's door. Lorelai put the bottle down and walked slowly towards the room. She hesitated for a second before she opened it and switched on the lights. She carefully stepped in and looked around.

Rory's bed had been replaced with a trundle bed. Most of her stuff like books, clothes and some of her posters were boxed up and placed into the garage. Gigi's toys where scattered all over the floor. Some of her clothes were lying on the bed. The whole room was covered in pink – pink walls, pink pictures, pink stuffed animals, and pink bed sheets. Pink. Good songs but if overused; too bad for the eyes, Lorelai thought.

There were still a few of Rory's Yale posters hanging on the wall and Colonel Clucker was sitting in a chair in the corner. The only remaining things that indicated Rory once lived in that room. Lorelai walked over to the chair and picked up the Colonel. She cuddled him to her chest, looked around the room one more time and made her way into the kitchen again. She grabbed the water bottle from the counter, turned off the lights and moved into the living room.

The flashing light of the answering machine caught her attention again. Lorelai hesitated for a second and debated in her head if she should listen to it or not. _Just get it over with_, she thought and pressed the button.

"Lorelai this is your mother." Emily's voice filled the living room. "Your father and I came back early from our function and I thought we could go over some of the wedding party plans but you are impossible to reach." Emily said melodramatically. "As always." She attached accusingly. "Seriously Lorelai if you don't want those party plans to proceed any further just tell me and don't put me on hold." And with that Emily disconnected the call.

Lorelai sighed and dragged her body toward the stairs. _I don't want that stupid party but did that stop you in the first place?_ Lorelai shot back at her mother in her head. She looked over at the flat screen TV on her wall and shook her head. _This is so not me._ She thought. _What's going to be next? Me joining the DAR?_ Lorelai shuddered at the thought. _Never!_ She swore but one tiny part inside her set off a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach.

_It's not as if I haven't already got sucked back into the Hartford upper class society again. _Lorelai sighed at the thought. With Chris having to go to parties and functions from his work she had to participate as well being his wife and all. Lorelai shook her head, glanced around the living room one more time before she headed upstairs.

She placed the Colonel on the bed, kicked off her shoes while she made her way into the bathroom and got ready for bed. After going through her nightly rituals she stepped back out of the bathroom and let her eyes travel over the room. Her gaze came to a halt when she spotted her jewelry box on the desk by the window. She hesitated for a second but her feet seemed to have their mind and walked her over to the desk. Lorelai sat down on the chair and opened the box with shaking hands.

On the first layer she had placed the necklaces and earrings she wore on a weekly basis. Some of her favorites and some she had to wear to Friday night dinner or some party she had to attend with Chris. Those were nice pieces, no doubt about that, but it just wasn't her. She wore them because she knew they were appropriate for the event. Lorelai removed the first layer and put it down beside the box. The second layer held pieces she only wore to special days of the year like Halloween or Christmas. Little snowman earrings or a necklace with pumpkin pendants but she also kept stuff there she would have rather thrown out but couldn't since they either came from Emily or Chris. Necklaces that would either fit right into their high school years back then or into Emily's jewelry collection.

Lorelai picked up a golden necklace she got from Chris when they started dating again. The chain held a golden heart shaped pendant on which he had the letters CL engraved. Lorelai eyed the piece suspiciously for a second. She shook her head and put it back on the layer. _He really shouldn't share his taste in jewelry with anyone._ Lorelai thought and sighed.

She moved her hands to take out the second layer but stopped. She looked at the box for a couple of seconds debating in her head if she should look through it further – well knowing what she will come across - or just put everything back in place. Lorelai removed her hands from the second layer and took the first one into her hands to put it on top again but stopped once more. She squeezed her eyes shut, took a deep breath and held it for a second. Her eyes opened again and she pressed the air out of her lungs. Lorelai set the first layer aside and removed the second one as well.

At the bottom of the box was a small black velvet sack with a purple cord that kept the contents safe. Lorelai reached into the box but hesitated. She withdrew her hand again and rubbed her fingers together. She took one more deep breath, released it and reached in again to take out the small sack. Lorelai took the sack into both hands and ran her thumps over the smooth velvet. She untangled the cord and opened it. She tentatively peeked into it and after a couple of seconds she emptied the content on the desk in front of her.

Lorelai took the earrings in her hand and memories from when Luke gave them to her came flooding back to her mind. They were friends back then and Luke tried to play it down and told her his sister Liz wanted her to have them but she could tell that it was Luke's decision to give them to her. She really loved those earrings. Lorelai took the velvet sack into her hand and was about to put them back in there when she decided against it and put them on the first layer.

She picked up a necklace next and untangled it. _The first gift he gave me when we started dating_. Lorelai thought. _A perfect match with the earrings._ Lorelai sighed. "Not only the jewelry." Lorelai said out loud and put the necklace next to the earrings on the first layer. Her eyes traveled back to the velvet sack and another small piece of fabric next to it. She slowly moved her right hand towards the piece and let her fingers travel tenderly over it. A few seconds ticked away but Lorelai finally picked up the fabric and took out what was kept safe inside.

She laid the ring in front of her and just looked at it. After a moment or two she took off her wedding ring without hesitation and exchanged it with her former engagement ring. It slipped smoothly on her finger and fit like a glove. She held up her hand and looked at how perfect hand and ring matched. _Once upon a time, in a__ land far-far away._ Lorelai sighed and removed the ring from her finger. She set it aside for a second in order to put on her wedding ring again. It got stuck halfway through the procedure and Lorelai had to slightly force it back on. She looked at her hand and a sad smile washed over her face._It still looks wrong and why the hell did I let him pick it out? _Lorelai thought. _I should have known better._ She groaned and shook her head.

She picked Luke's ring back up and looked at it again. It was the first time she really looked at it while not having it on her finger. After Luke put it on in the moonlight it stayed there. She didn't take it off once. Lorelai turned it in her fingers and something inside the ring caught her eye. She brought it closer to her face and saw a little engraving - **∞**. It looked like an eight lying down. _That's the symbol for infinity._ Lorelai thought to herself. _Why didn't Luke ever show me or told me about it?_ She asked herself.

Lost in her thoughts Lorelai moved from the desk over to her bed and lay down. She still had the ring in her hands and turned it around with her fingers; loosing herself in a memory of the past.

_Luke and Lorelai were lying in Luke's bed in his apartment above the diner. Lorelai was already drifting off into dreamland while Luke was still on a high after their recent engagement and was babbling on about kids, plants, and a house he bought. It took Lorelai a minute longer to process everything Luke had rambled about before she could react._

"_You bought a house without telling me?" Lorelai asked him incredulously._

"_What?" Luke had to ask back since he thought she had fallen asleep and didn't hear a word he was saying or rather didn't process them any further._

"_A house? I mean, a house is huge!" Lorelai responded._

"_Yeah, I know, that's why I told you."__ Luke returned._

" _A house full of kids?" Lorelai asked the fog slowly slipping from her brain._

"_No, a plant, don't forget the plant." Luke got slightly nervous and tried to cover for his slip about the kids._

"_Please don't do that, okay? Or, any other address or life changing decisions? Please include me in!" Lorelai demanded._

"_I will. I am. I'm sorry. I won't. I will." Luke assured her._

"_Okay." Lorelai simply replied._

_They settled back down into __the pillows and Luke apologized: "Sorry."_

_After a few seconds Lorelai's face graced a happy smile and__ she said: "Kids would be good." And snuggled deeper into her pillow. Luke couldn't keep the smile from spreading all over his face. He lay down behind Lorelai but after a few seconds he was craving her warmth. He shifted closer to her and took her in his arms; pulling her body close to his while he spooned behind her. Lorelai sighed contently and snuggled into Luke's embrace; taking his hand in hers._

"_I love you" Luke whispered into her neck and kissed her softly there._

"_How much?" Lorelai replied smirking and squeezed Luke's hand._

"_Ad infinitum."__ Luke countered and drew her earlobe into his mouth; biting down gently, eliciting a soft moan from Lorelai._

"_Look at you Mr. Big with__ the Latin Words." Lorelai giggled and craned her neck to give Luke better access to her exposed skin. When Luke bit down harder on her earlobe and moved his ministrations down her neck Lorelai sighed again and started to rotate her hips, grinding her butt softly into Luke._

"_If you keep that up I'm not only going to be big __with words." Luke said in a husky voice. Lorelai repeated her movements and grinded harder into him this time. A deep groan escaped Luke's throat and he bit down on the junction between her neck and shoulder, sucking the flesh into his warm mouth and soothing it with his tongue and lips afterwards._

"_Luke." Lorelai moaned._

"_I love you." Luke breathed into her ear once more and let his fingers travel lightly over her stomach and under her nightgown._

"_Forever" She sighed deeply as she felt his hands on her bare stomach._

"_And ever." Luke __replied softly and gyrated his hips, rubbing his arousal against her butt._

"_And a day." Lorelai gasped __as Luke's hand squeezed her breast and brushed over her nipple with his thumb._

Lorelai sighed and hauled herself back into the present. She turned the ring over in her hand again. After a couple of minutes she turned on her side and put the band on her nightstand. She switched off the bedside light and snuggled into her pillow. When she closed her eyes however the visual of her memory came back to her and she could swear she even felt Luke's hands on her body again.

Lorelai groaned and rolled onto her back. She closed her eyes again and willed sleep to come.

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TBC

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If life hands you lemons ask for tequila and salt.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter IX

Better start with the disclaimer before I get into any trouble: Not mine and to be honest after season 6 and 7 I don't even want to own it and those who do should hide in a hole.

Thank you for your amazing reviews guys and for pointing out mistakes I made. Keep them coming. I really appreciate them – the good and the bad.

**AN:** Is it April already. Man where did the time go? Everything just flies by. Moving out, moving in, struggling with the stupid internet connection, Easter break and now I'm finally able to update.

Special thanks to **Vaso **

If you find mistakes, keep 'em.

--

Chapter IX

„Thanks Lane. " Rory said and hugged her friend tightly. "You, too Zach." She said over Lane's shoulder.

"Hey it's cool." Zach dismissed it. "Luke needs all the help he can get and he did so much for us already."

"What are you going to do now?" Lane asked Rory.

"A heart to heart conversation with mom first and then I'm going to drive to the hospital, talk to Luke and lay out the plans. See what he has to say about it and well depending on how the conversation with mom goes I might need your comfy couch again tonight." Rory answered hoping she would be welcomed again for another night.

"I'm sure you won't need it Rory." Lane said reassuringly.

"I hope so." Rory sighed and grabbed her things.

"Don't forget Luke's cell phone." Lane reminded her.

Rory took the phone from the table and put it in her purse. She turned towards Lane again and gave her another hug. "Say hi to Luke from us ok?" Lane murmured into Rory's ear. "Sure do." Rory promised and let go of her.

"See you later guys." She waved and left the house.

When Rory entered the driveway to the Crap Shack she was relieved not to see her father's car there and released the breath she didn't know she was holding. _One less thing to worry about today. _She thought as she came to a stop behind her mother's jeep. Rory climbed out of her car and made her way into the house.

It was quiet when she entered and Rory guessed that Lorelai was still sleeping. Well it was only 9 on a Saturday but it had been a long day yesterday for all of them. Rory crept up the stairs and peeked into her mother's bedroom. Lorelai was curled up on her side, facing away from the door. Rory decided to give her mom a couple more minutes. She was about to head back down to get a pot of coffee started before she woke her up when her eyes spotted the open jewelry box on the desk.

Her reporter instincts kicked in and Rory walked slowly and without making too many noises over to the desk. She let her eyes travel over the pieces of jewelry and was surprised to see the necklace and earrings Luke once gave her mom among the other pieces. _I thought she threw everything out._ Rory thought, turned around and studied her sleeping mother for a couple of seconds. Another tiny object on the nightstand caught Rory's attention and she moved silently over to get a better look at it. It didn't take much for Rory to recognize the shiny object was the engagement ring Luke gave her.

Rory sighed and looked once more over to Lorelai. Her heart went out to her mother and she wished she could take some of the burden from her but Rory knew she couldn't. Lorelai had to figure it out herself and Rory wished she would be strong enough to support her even when her mom chose the wrong path.

Rory sighed again and crept out of the bedroom, down the stairs and into the kitchen. She loaded the coffeemaker with water and coffee ground. She checked the fridge for food but came up empty. "Figures." She mumbled and closed it again. After checking the cupboards she only found two pop tarts, fruit loops but no Cap'n Crunch. _Short on_ _Pop tarts, only one sweet cereal and not even Cap'n Crunch – who is living here?_ Rory asked herself and shook her head.

In the meantime upstairs Lorelai turned around and slowly rose from her sleep. She turned on her back and stretched out her arms and legs. Groaning loudly she slowly opened her eyes and looked around her room. Her eyes came to a halt on her nightstand and the ring that still lay there. She blinked once, twice and then sat up. She threw the covers aside, picked the ring up and got out of bed. She placed it back into the piece of fabric and then into the small black velvet sack. Lorelai saw the necklace and earrings mingled with her other jewelry. She already decided last night they would stay there and she would wear them again. Lorelai nodded to herself in agreement once more and put the black velvet sack back into the box and covered it with the second and first layer. She closed the box and moved into the bathroom to get ready for the day.

When Rory heard the shower upstairs she started the coffee machine and wanted to put the pop tarts into the toaster. Only then did Rory realize McToasty was replaced by this new shiny stainless steel toaster/oven combination. She only shook her head and inserted the pop tarts and needed a few minutes to figure out how this thing worked. Rory turned around and gave the kitchen a once over. Everything else looked as always and when her eyes met her old room all in pink she walked over and shut the door.

"This is just not my home anymore." Rory whispered to herself.

"What did you say?" Lorelai's voice suddenly came from behind Rory.

"Mom! Don't creep up on me like that. You almost gave me a heart attack." Rory jolted around and faced her mother.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." Lorelai apologized. "What was that about home?" She said and moved over to the cupboard to get out a cup for Rory and one for herself. Rory took a deep breath and turned toward her mother.

"Nice toaster." Rory said and pointed at the new shiny object in the kitchen. "What's his personality like? Cold and don't you dare touch me since you can see every fingerprint on me?" She asked sarcastically.

Lorelai set down the coffee cups and turned toward her daughter. She eyed Rory warily before she said: "Ok obviously round two is in full swing here and you gave yourself a head start. You mind helping me catch up?"

"Only two pop tarts, one sweet cereal and not even Cap'n Crunch? A new shiny toaster with the wrong attitude and an almost empty fridge?" Rory pointed out.

"I didn't have the time to go grocery shopping. Your dad and McToasty didn't bond very well since McToasty decides how toasty the bread should be. Your dad and I decided on a 'one sweet cereal is enough' rule and well the pop tarts - he must have taken them out of the cart the last time we bought breakfast stuff." Lorelai defended the empty kitchen.

Rory looked at her mom not believing what she just heard. Her eyes wide, mouth agape. She blinked once, twice before she shut her mouth again and swallowed hard.

"Did you even listen to what you just said?" Rory asked in disbelief.

"Why? What was so wrong about it?" Lorelai asked not getting what her daughter meant. Rory shut her eyes tight and took a deep breath.

"I don't even know who you are anymore." Rory said softly and shook her head disappointedly.

"What are you talking about Rory? An empty kitchen is not something you didn't come across before in this household." Lorelai defended.

"No! But a mother that changes her eating habits because of a guy. Who agrees to stupid food buying rules to please a guy? Who gets rid off her toaster she took months to chose the right name for, which was sentenced to death years ago already but she kept bugging her best friend for over a week to repair it for her and of course he did it and you just threw it out because it didn't agree with a guy's taste?" Rory said angrily. Lorelai was stunned about Rory's outburst and wanted to interject but Rory kept on with her rant.

"And just look around here." Rory gestured with both arms. "This isn't home anymore. At least not my home." She pointed at her chest to emphasize her last words.

"Rory this is still the house you grew up in." Lorelai tried to reason.

"Yeah the walls and roof that hold the place together are." Rory shot back at her mother.

"Rory I don't get…" Lorelai tried but was interrupted again.

"Just look around here mom. That huge TV in the living room is sure screaming Lorelai Gilmore to me. It rather screams Lorelai Hayden or does dad need to compensate something with it?"

"Rory!" Lorelai gasped at what her daughter just said.

"And what about my room?" Rory asked heatedly.

"What is wrong with your room?" Lorelai questioned but already knew what Rory was referring, too.

"It's not there anymore for starters." Rory spat out.

"We needed it for your sister." Lorelai replied weakly. She knew back then it wasn't a good idea to go over Rory's head when they remodeled the room for Gigi. She told Chris they needed to talk to her about it but in order to keep the peace in the house and like in many other cases she just gave in by the end of the day. "I thought you were ok with it."

"You didn't even ask me mom. You showed up and told me you were going to remodel my room – take it or leave it. What was I supposed to say mom?" Rory asked.

She took a deep breath and continued sadly: "You got married without me and the first chance you got you erased me and my stuff from this house. You kicked me out as if you wanted to get rid off everything that reminded you of your Stars Hollow life."

"Rory that's not true." Lorelai pleaded.

"First it was only Luke's stuff and now mine. Oh no wait you sure still remember who built me the desk or the book shelves. He made them for me, for us because you couldn't afford it."

"You knew that?" Lorelai asked stunned.

"Of course I knew that mom. I lived here too you know and I got things even when I was only 12. You let dad get rid off my stuff faster than you can empty a cup of Joe. I knew I was always in dad's way but I never thought…" Rory stopped for a second. She averted her eyes and went on in a whisper: "I never thought you would treat me like that."

Lorelai couldn't believe what she just heard. She knew Rory wasn't completely happy about the situation they all were in but what Rory revealed to her hit her hard. Lorelai had to sit down. She blinked back the tears that threatened to spill over. The pain in her chest increased with every second that ticked by.

"Rory I…" Lorelai started but couldn't finish her sentence let alone her thoughts.

"Rory you were never in your dad's way." She tried and knew that direction would end in a dead corner.

"Yeah because he made sure to be as far away from me as possible and only showed up when he got you as the main dish." Rory spat out. Lorelai was shaken by her daughter's words and didn't know what to say.

"Don't look so shocked mom. You sure must have connected the dots at one point but you always gave him the benefit of the doubt. He got away with everything and you even rewarded him afterwards." Rory continued her assault.

"Rory how can you say that?" Lorelai asked incredulously.

"Don't deny it mom. When he is around you fall back into your 15-year-old pattern and do stupid things."

"I do not." Lorelai said not really convincing.

"So sleeping with him after the fight with his parents was not stupid? Sleeping with him when he still was with Sherry was not stupid? And therefore getting both of us dragged into his fantasy world just to be let down again the next day? You rescuing him after Sherry left him and dumped Gigi on him?" Rory baited her mother.

"He was totally overwhelmed with her. He didn't know what to do." She tried to defend Chris' actions.

"He was her dad for two years and still hadn't figured out how to be a dad? Are you kidding me?" Rory asked in disbelief.

"He wasn't around much. He was on business trips a lot."

"And now the first chance he gets he ships her off to France so that there is again no annoying kid in his and your way. That's rich. I can't believe you even married a man like that. First chance he gets and he is out of his own daughters' lives and Luke who was nothing more then your coffee supplier in the beginning was there for me whenever I needed him. He was there when I was sick, when I turned sixteen, when I graduated high school. He gave me his mother's pearls when I turned twenty one. What did I get from dad? Nothing! Not even a phone call. Luke was so proud and looking forward to being my step dad."

"He pushed me out of his life Rory. He didn't want to marry me." Lorelai yelled back at Rory.

"He just found out he had a 12-year-old kid mom. HIS kid he didn't support, HIS kid he was not there for, HIS kid he did not love for twelve years so can you blame him for being overwhelmed and not knowing how to handle the situation? Can you blame him for wanting to spend as much time with her as possible? To make up for lost time and possibilities?" Rory questioned her mother and continued right away without giving her the chance to respond.

"Or is that just something that doesn't fit into your view of the world since after twenty two years my dear father still doesn't support me, still is not there for me, and still is more interested in you than his own daughter?"

"Your dad is supporting you. He is paying for Yale if you forgot." Lorelai started to defend Chris' actions once more. "He is there for you. He went to the Yale parents' thing with me and he loves you Rory."

"He only paid for Yale after he inherited that money from his grandfather and please don't try to tell me he was a poor guy who wasn't able to at least spend some money on a Christmas gift or birthday present." Rory shot back. "Yes he came to the parents' thing at Yale but as you said _with you._ He didn't really spend time with me or tried to get to know me and my life at Yale. He knows absolutely nothing about me and that's why he invited all the guys from the newspaper with whom I have no contact outside the press room. And besides one lousy thing in five years and you want me to kiss the ground my proud daddy is walking on?"

"Luke did more for April in that one year he learned about her than my own father in my twenty two years of existing. Hell Luke did more for me than my own father and here you are turning your own life upside down and your beliefs into what pleases him. You are hurting the two people that love you the most in this world and only want you to be happy but you chose a path where you can't be yourself." Rory paused for a second before she continued in soft voice: "and I know you are not really happy mom."

After everything Rory had laid out on the open Lorelai didn't know how to process it all. She just looked at her daughter – speechless and with tears in her eyes. She blinked rapidly in order to keep them at bay but it was a fight Lorelai would lose.

"He didn't want to marry me Rory." Was the only thing Lorelai was able to get out before the first tears made their way down her cheeks.

"No mom. He didn't want to elope with you and why was that?" Rory asked her tenderly.

"Because he had April to consider." Lorelai whispered back. Rory stepped closer to her mom and took her hands gently into hers.

"Did dad consider me when he wanted you to elope in Paris with him?" Rory questioned.

"He brushed it off. Telling me you would be ok with it and happy for us." She replied quietly.

"Why didn't you and Luke got married when we two weren't speaking? Why didn't you even plan something yet or set a date?" Rory already knew the answer to those questions but she needed to point them out to her mother again. Maybe it would open her eyes a bit and get her thinking about her situation now.

Lorelai swallowed hard before she answered:"I told him I wanted to wait till things were right with you."

"Did he understand and agree with you?" Rory kept on.

Lorelai sighed: "Yes Rory but that doesn't change the fact he built a totally different life with his daughter and I wasn't a part of it and from where I stood it looked as if I were never going to be a part of it. The marriage was never going to happen."

"Is that the only thing on your mind mom? Marriage? Are you so desperate to have that stupid license lying in a drawer?" Rory shot back angrily and moved a few steps back from her mother again.

"You are leaving me Rory. Heck you already have. You are all grown up now. You have your own life and you are going to move out into the world and I? I'm going to be here in this empty house all by myself and probably end up with cats which would totally freak out Paul Anka by the way." Lorelai cried.

"So what you dumb the one guy you ever really loved instead of working things out with him and grab the next best guy whose only purpose in life seems to be proposing to you?" Rory asked disbelievingly. "How long do you think you can pull through with this? You really think this relationship is going to work if you have to force feelings on you that don't exist? What if he wants another kid?"

Lorelai's eyes shot up to Rory and she looked like a deer caught in the headlights. Rory's eyes went wide in shock and she took another step back.

"Please tell me you turned down that request mom, that you didn't give in again just to please him." Rory's voice was just above a whisper. When her mother didn't answer she had to ask: "Do you even want another kid?"

"Yes." Lorelai whispered. Rory swallowed hard.

She took a deep breath before she continued: "With him?"

Lorelai averted her eyes and bit on her lower lip while shaking her head no. Rory released the breath she was holding and grabbed the kitchen counter for support. _Thank God._ Rory mumbled in her head. She looked back at her mother who moved slowly over to one of the chairs and sank slowly down on it. She looked so small at that moment and Rory's heart went out to her mother.

"What now?" Rory asked after what seemed like an hour of silence between both women.

"I don't know Rory." Lorelai replied defeated and whipped some of the tears from her cheeks. "I can't walk out of it. I need to make it work Rory." Lorelai started to plead with her daughter.

"For whom mom?" Rory simply asked. "Me? Cross that right out of your mind missy. I neither saw you two together when I was eight nor when I was 16 and if you asked me now I don't even want you two together since you are bad for each other. He turns you into a person I don't like mom." Rory whispered the last part afraid of hurting Lorelai even more.

Lorelai looked up at her daughter and new tears made their way down her cheeks. A sob escaped her throat.

"Do you do it for grandma and grandpa? To redeem the past?" Rory asked further. "If that's the case you know damn well it's not going to work. You knew it was a bad idea back then and the way you acted that night you both told me about you being married showed me you were not comfortable and happy with it. Not only Luke can see through your happy face and the smile that never reaches your eyes when your heart is not in it mom." Rory stated.

"Is it because _you_ need that relationship?" Rory dug further. When her mother met her eyes she continued: "Then you have to ask yourself what you get out of it. Are you happy with him - truly happy and in love? Are you content with yourself? Can you be yourself around him? Can you share the good, the bad and even the sad parts with him mom?"

"Think about it." Rory said and moved closer to Lorelai. She hugged her tightly and whispered into her ear: "I'm always there for you no matter what you chose. It is your life mom and only you know what is best for you and what makes you really happy."

Rory squeezed her once more before she let her mother go. She grabbed her purse and a now cold pop tart. When she saw the questioning look on her mother's face she explained:

"I'm driving to the hospital. I need to talk to Luke about what Lane and I came up with." Rory simply stated. "Should I say hi?"

Lorelai only shook her head yes and took in a shaky breath. The tears had stopped running down her face but her eyes were still moist and red. Rory knew she would need another good cry before she could think about what happened and start processing it.

Rory inhaled deeply and turned around – ready to leave but not really ready to face the next problem of the day – Luke.

--

TBC

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If Life hands you Lemons ask for Tequila and Salt !


	10. Chapter 10

Better start with the disclaimer before I get into any trouble: Not mine and to be honest after season 6 and 7 I don't even want to own it and those who do should hide in a hole.

Thank you for your amazing reviews guys and for pointing out mistakes I made. Keep them coming.

Thanks to **Vaso** again for reading my stuff and for giving me ideas for future chapters and for kicking my butt.

A couple of hugs for **Kasia** – I just feel like it :P

And thanks to **JJ4Ever** for beta-ing this chapter.

Ok you waited long enough – go, go read !!

If you find mistakes, keep 'em.

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Chapter X

_Ok, that was it,_ Rory thought when she left the house and closed the door with more force than she had intended. _I hope my lovely father doesn't come home today. Gives her some time to think._ She mumbled in her head on the way to her car. "At least I hope," Rory said out loud and sighed.

She was about to enter her car when her movements were interrupted by Babette, who came out of her house, yelling like a mad woman.

"Rory, sugar! Wait up!" Babette crossed the lawn grasping for air. "Hold up Rory! I'm not as quick as I used to be."

"Slow down Babette. I'm not leaving you in the dust," Rory chuckled. "Jeez Babette, breathe," she said after Babette arrived safely at her side. A few deep breaths and some failed attempts to speak on Babette's side later, Rory said: "Ok, one more, and then tell me what's up."

She straightened up and took one last deep breath and tried again: "Oh, I just wanted to tell you we're having a town meeting tonight 'cause of Luke and everything." She paused for a second and took another breath.

"What's up with our town hunk anyway? Do you know anything yet? No one knows what happened. Not even East Side Tilly and she gets most of the scoop lately. Let me tell ya. Not even Patty's phone picks up anything good lately. We definitely live on the wrong side of Stars Hollow," Babette babbled on.

"Maybe Morey and I should move after all – looking at how things are around here now," she mumbled more to herself and shot a wistful glance towards the Crap Shack which didn't go unnoticed by Rory.

Rory sighed and replied: "She'll come around Babette."

"What sugar?" Babette asked, coming out of her own thoughts. "Oh yeah. Hopefully," she mumbled. "So what about Luke?" Babette led back to the main subject.

"Well, I don't know how much Luke wants you all to know," Rory started nervously. She knew he hated to be in the center of attention and the latest news in Hello Magazine. "But I'm on my way to the hospital," Rory continued in a rush. "I spent the night at Lane's and we hashed out some plans. I want to discuss them with Luke and see what he thinks."

"That's a good idea sugar. So how bad is it? If you need to plan out something with Lane it can't be good, can it?" Babette asked impatiently.

Rory looked at her and heaved a sigh.

"He is not coming home soon Babette. He is fine so far but…" Rory got out before she got interrupted by Babette.

"So if he's fine, then why can't he come home soon?" she screeched.

"Well..." Rory took a deep breath before she went on, "He can't walk, Babette," She said in a low voice.

"He can't walk!" she shrieked. "That's terrible sugar," she said and grabbed Rory in a tight hug.

"How are you holding up honey?" She asked after a few seconds. "Oh my God! What about April? Does she know already? Is she coming?"

"Slow down Babette." Rory interrupted her. "Yes, April knows and I don't know if she is coming or not."

"Poor munchkin," Babette mumbled. "How is…" Babette trailed off and let her eyes travel towards the Crap Shack again.

"She is dealing with it the Lorelai way," Rory stated rather coolly and turned her eyes away from the house.

"Is he giving you guys a hard time?" Babette asked picking up on Rory's mood.

"Let's just say he is no great help." Rory stated. She didn't want to give Babette more to gossip than she already had and continued: "I'm sorry Babette, but I really have to go. I need to get to Luke."

"It's fine sugar." Babette answered understandingly. "Tell him we're thinking of him and not to worry. The town is going to handle things."

"Alright Babette," Rory said and hugged her goodbye. "Thank you, and I'll see you at the town meeting tonight."

The women separated and Babette was about to return to her house when Rory remembered to ask: "Eh, Babette? What about mom? She doesn't know about the town meeting."

Babette turned around and replied: "She ain't been coming to meetings anymore anyway," she shrugged sadly and continued her walk home.

Rory turned to the Crap Shack once more. She looked sadly at it, shook her head and groaned: "How did everything go so wrong?" Rory turned towards her car, got in and drove off to the hospital.

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9

Meanwhile in the Crap Shack, Lorelai had to sit down after everything Rory told her.

"How did everything go so wrong?" Lorelai sighed. So many thoughts were running around in her head, it felt like ants had invaded her brain. She rubbed her temples in order to calm down the throbbing in her head. After a few minutes Lorelai gave up.

"I can't sit here and let them eat up my brain," she cried out and stood up.

She went into the living room, got her purse and keys and was about to head out the front door when she spotted two figures standing on her lawn through the milky glass in the door.

_Probably Rory talking to Babette._ She thought and waited in the house. She observed how the two hugged and exchanged gestures. After some time the person Lorelai assumed to be Babette moved away and Lorelai thought it would be save to open the door a crack.

When she did she heard Babette's words: "She ain't been coming to meetings anymore anyway."

Lorelai winced after hearing the hurt and disappointment in Babette's voice. She quickly shut the door again and watched as Rory turned in what Lorelai could only imagine the direction of the house. She averted her eyes in shame since it felt to Lorelai as if Rory's eyes could see right through the door and at her.

A couple of minutes later she heard Rory's car starting and saw it driving out of the driveway through the glass. Lorelai sighed heavily and finally moved out of the house – inwardly praying she wouldn't run into Babette. She had to get out of the house, out of Stars Hollow and the only escape she saw was getting to the Dragonfly.

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9

When Rory reached the hospital she had calmed down a little but the minute she stepped foot out of the elevator and walked slowly towards Luke's room her heart started to beat rapidly again. When she reached his door she took a deep breath, knocked and entered carefully.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Rory excused herself when she saw that a nurse was with Luke. "I'll come back when you are finished," she continued and was about to shut the door when Luke called out for her.

"Rory, wait," he said. "It's ok. Nurse Greene is just bringing me what they call food here. You can come in."

"I told you, it was Carol," The nurse told Luke sternly and then turned towards Rory. "Is he rolling his eyes?" she asked bluntly.

Rory looked from the nurse to Luke, who indeed rolled his eyes, and back to the nurse again.

"It's one of his trademarks." Rory grinned at the nurse.

"Let me guess, his charming attitude as well?" The nurse teased further.

"Oh my God! Did you already unleash one of your rants?" Rory's jaw dropped as she looked back at Luke who only shrugged with his shoulders.

"He's a real charmer, that one," Carol said looking back at Luke and winked at him. He in return blushed a little and rolled his eyes again.

"I think we tortured him enough. Poor guy didn't even have breakfast yet." The nurse smiled knowing what is going to come.

"You call that breakfast?" Luke started.

"Oh, here comes a second one," Carol whispered to Rory and both women started to grin from ear to ear.

"The tea is cold." Luke continued gesturing toward the tea with his right hand. "There is sugar in it. Do you have any idea what sugar does to you?" He looked at Rory and Carol as if he expected an answer from them. "Killing vitamins! Destroying your teeth! Should I continue?" He asked them again.

He turned back to his tray of food. "Those eggs are half cooked and salty." He pointed a finger at the plate. "Salmonella. Water that is not going to leave my body! Two things I won't handle well since I'm stuck in this bed. Should I even mention there is not one fruit on here?" Luke stopped his rant and looked challengingly at the nurse.

Carol just smiled and turned towards Rory again. "Definitely a keeper." She smirked and left the room.

"Charming your way into her heart?" Rory turned teasingly back at Luke.

"I'm not charming anything or anyone," Luke grumped in return.

"That's more like it." Rory grinned and walked closer toward Luke's bed. "So how was your first night? Did you get any sleep?" She asked.

"Sure, with either a doctor or a nurse poking a head in here every five minutes," Luke grumbled.

Rory took the chair from the corner and moved it closer to Luke's bed so she could take a seat. She let her eyes travel over the room for a second before she turned her attention back at Luke.

"Em, Luke? Do you have a phone in here or can you get access to one?" Rory asked.

"Charming Nurse Carol is on it already but it's taking them forever. I must have lost my cell phone in the storeroom. I can't use it in here anyway. I need to call April. We were supposed to talk last night and she must be wondering what happened. It totally slipped my mind to ask you or Lorelai to call her for me with everything that happened yesterday." Luke rambled.

"Don't worry Luke." Rory interjected. "Zach found your phone and when I was at their place last night April called."

"She did?" Luke asked anxiously. "How was she? What did you tell her?"

"Calm down, Luke." Rory tried to sooth him. "I told her you had an accident and that you are in the hospital but that you were fine. That we would try to figure out a way how she can contact you."

"She must be worried." Luke said concerned. "Does she know about my legs?"

"Yes, I told her about that. She is worried but stayed as calm as possible. We need a way to contact her if the phone thing takes too long." Rory said thoughtfully.

"Well," Luke started attentively. "If it is alright with you, you can use my cell and give her the heads up since I can't call her."

"Of course, Luke." Rory said immediately and patted the back of his hand.

"Thanks" Luke sighed relieved and Rory gave his hand a reassuring squeeze before she pulled it back.

After a few minutes of silence Luke spoke up first.

"So what did you and Lane come up with last night?" he asked.

"Oh right. The diner." Rory dragged her mind back to the main problem. "Ok, first, we didn't get the chance to ask Caesar yet if he agrees with our plan."

"Oh, believe me, he will." Luke interrupted her. "Everything to get those stupid frozen bananas back," Luke grumbled from the bed and rolled his eyes. Rory only grinned at that and kept going.

"Ok. So let's just assume Caesar is up to it. That makes one full time worker for the diner. Zach will take over Lane's shifts and whenever else he is needed. That makes two. The band is not playing any gigs at the moment and Zach really digs working in the diner. He is very happy to work there more." Rory smiled reassuringly at Luke. "Lane is going to step in when they need her, too."

"No." Luke jumped in. "She is not working at the diner. It's too much for her. She has to stay off of her feet as much as possible. The guys have to handle it without her," he said sternly and gave Rory a look that didn't allow any objections.

"Ok, Lane stays out of the diner." Rory nodded. "I have a break coming up in two weeks. Just for a couple of days but I'm going to shimmy in as good as I can."

"Rory, you have Yale, homework, the newspaper, friends and Friday night dinner. You always need to study or write a paper," Luke pointed out.

"Luke," she interrupted his rant, "I can handle it. You are my friend, you need help and I'm going to help you. End of discussion," Rory said firmly and by the look in her eyes Luke could tell she meant business.

"Alright. Caesar knows the diner best and with Zach's help they should be able to handle it. Lane is good with the paperwork, money and what's in stock and what needs to be ordered. She only has to stick her nose in there once or twice a week to get a good look at the storeroom and grab the papers, or better yet Zach can take them home with him after work. It keeps her off her feet and she can still make some money. Those two will sure need it." Luke brainstormed.

"Brian also offered his help if the diner gets swamped." Rory put in.

"Ok, good. The staff situation is cared for." Luke said. All of a sudden his eyes went wide and he looked at Rory his expression turning hard all at once.

"What?" Rory asked bewildered and a bit scared.

"Under no circumstances is Kirk allowed behind the counter, in the kitchen or storeroom or up in my apartment." Luke said in a firm tone. "Do not let him work at my diner! Understood!"

Rory released the breath she was holding and giggled slightly.

"Yes, Luke. Understood. Kirk will be a customer and nothing more. I promise." Rory grinned at Luke. "I can pinky swear if you want." She chuckled and held out her right pinky to Luke who only rolled his eyes at her.

"We can keep the diner open and running," he continued.

"That's good right? We need the diner up and running. That's ok with you?" Rory said uncertain.

"Yes, that's all good by me. The hospital bill and rehab will eat enough out of my savings as it is but we still have the problem with my meat guy." Luke said. "He won't leave it if I don't sign the delivery papers myself."

"There has to be a way around that." Rory encouraged Luke to think of something. "Maybe if you'll write a note or something and explain the situation."

"No, it doesn't work. I tried it a couple of times with Caesar but he didn't budge, although thinking of it, Lorelai…" Luke stopped when the memory about that day came back to him.

It was during their first year together and Lorelai experienced Luke's mourning over the loss of his father and better known as his dark day for the first time. After a rough day and night Luke finally fell asleep just before the meat guy was supposed to show up. Lorelai didn't want to wake him up and somehow convinced the meat guy to leave the goods.

_Lorelai padded silently back into the dark apartment. She stopped at the sink in the kitchen and filled a glass with water. She turned around and looked at Luke who lay in bed; sleeping peacefully now. It had been a rough day for him and a rough night for both. He didn't want her to stay at first but Lorelai saw right through his act and crawled in bed with him; holding him, soothing him and letting him tell her stories about his dad and his own fears of getting sick one day._

_Lorelai sighed and moved over to the bed. She put the glass on the nightstand and crawled back in with Luke. He was lying on his back but the moment she slipped in on her side Luke sighed and rolled on his side and spooned behind her. He took her in his arms, drawing her closer to his body, nestling his face into her neck and breathing in her scent._

"_Go back to sleep, babe," she whispered and put her hand over his; drawing little circles on the back in order to soothe him back to sleep._

"_The meet guy should be here any minute," he replied softly and kissed her neck tenderly._

"_All taken care of, honey," she sighed and strained her neck to give him better access. Luke's hand that had started to rub her stomach gently came to a halt and Luke shifted to get a better look at her face._

"_He left the meat with you?" he asked incredulously._

_Lorelai shifted onto her back and looked up at Luke, not getting why it was such a big deal._

"_Well, he did put up a little fight at first, but in the end he couldn't resist the Lorelai charm," she said proudly and grinned up at Luke._

_Luke looked down at her adoringly and wondered how he got so lucky to have her right here beside him and in his life._

"_You are amazing," he whispered in awe and leaned in to kiss her tenderly on the lips. Lorelai lifted her hand and ran her fingers through his curls at the base of his neck; putting some pressure on the spot to signal Luke to deepen the kiss._

_After a couple of minutes they separated; panting from the intensity. The moment however was broken when Luke erupted into laughter and buried his face into her neck._

"_What's so funny?" Lorelai asked, confused, running her left hand up and down Luke's right bicep. He lifted his head again and smirked down at her._

"_Poor guy probably didn't know what hit him," he chuckled._

"_Play nice, now," Lorelai gaped at him and swatted his chest playfully. Luke caught her hand in his and kissed each finger softly, never letting his eyes drift from hers. He sucked her index finger into his mouth and watched her eyes cloud over._

"_Oh, I'm going to play, all right," he said in a husky voice once he released her finger and rolled them so he was on top of her, pressing into her and showing her how much into the play he already was._

"Although what?" Rory asked, dragging Luke back into the present. It took him a second to recover from the vivid memory and he slightly blushed. He looked up at her after a few seconds and said:

"Well, your mom somehow got the meat guy to leave the stuff even though I wasn't around. I don't know how she did it, but you know your mother and her red meat addiction." Luke chuckled slightly.

"The poor guy probably didn't know what hit him," Rory laughed.

"Probably not," Luke agreed.

Both bathed a few more seconds in the old memory and Lorelai's persuasion tactics.

"Ok, the meat guy problem would be solved as well then." Rory stated.

"Whoa there. Wait Rory,." Luke interrupted. "What do you mean solved?"

"Well, since mom got him to leave the meat once before, she can do it again now," Rory argued.

"No, no, no, no, no Rory." Luke opposed, putting up his hands to emphasize his objection. "I don't want to drag her into this. There is already tension between you two because of my situation here and the way you two are around each other your father is surely involved there somehow as well."

"But Luke, we need the meat otherwise opening the diner is a waste of time," Rory tried to reason with him.

"Rory, no," Luke interjected again. "We need to find another solution. I don't want to cause any discomfort or stress. I really appreciate what you are already doing for me but one Gilmore girl jumping through hoops is really all I can ask for after everything," Luke finished in almost a whisper.

"Oh, stop that, Luke." Rory yelled out in frustration causing Luke to look at her with huge eyes. "You both were stupid and screwed it up, but that doesn't matter here one bit. What matters is you getting back on your feet and us to keep the diner up and running. You were best friends once, for heaven's sake, and what you need right now is your friends. Through how many hoops did you jump or did mom let you jump for us in the past? If mom can help us and if she is willing to, please let her, ok?" she finished with pleading eyes.

Luke sighed and nodded silently.

"Don't worry about us, Luke. Mom and I will figure it out. We went through tougher moments in the past and I learned one important lesson," Rory said.

"What's that?" Luke asked.

"Not to run and hide but to face the problem and deal with it, and I'm going to make sure mom will not run and hide this time. We both were too stubborn when I dropped out of Yale, and believe me, I'm not going to make the same mistake again, and I won't let mom do it either. I backed down when she started dating my father again since I thought she would come to her senses at one point, and look where that lead to."

"Rory," Luke tried to interject but Rory cut him off.

"No, Luke. It all happened too fast and for the wrong reasons. They are not good for each other and I can no longer close my eyes and shut my mouth about it! Mom needs a good reality check, and either she deals with it or she starts losing what once was important to her."

"What do you mean?" Luke wanted to know; looking puzzled.

"Is the town really that good at keeping it from you?" Rory asked in disbelieve. She looked at Luke and saw at his expression that he really didn't know what she was talking about.

"The welcome wagon?" Rory asked and only received a shrug from Luke.

"The knit-a-thon nightmare?" Rory questioned further but received the same result from Luke. Rory chuckled: "Man, I never thought Hello Magazine wouldn't bring the news into the diner. I thought they met there and exchanged their stories over coffee." Rory shook her head in disbelieve.

"They got pretty quiet around me." Luke said, thinking about it.

"Well, let's just say my father didn't leave a good impression behind and the town didn't really pull out the big welcome guns for them. From what I saw and heard the last couple of days the town is sad and disappointed in mom since she doesn't participate in anything anymore like she used to in the past and if she does she brings dad along who screws everything up," Rory informed Luke with a sigh and looked down at her shoes.

"It looks as if the damage is pretty big, and I haven't even talked to Sookie yet. If their friendship looks any similar to what I heard from the town or compare it with how mom and I are right now, I guess Sookie is not a happy camper right now either." Rory continued and looked back up at Luke.

"I'm sorry, Rory," Luke said softly.

"This is not your fault, Luke, and don't you dare blame yourself. They got themselves into that position, and if mom needs to lose a few things to realize what she is doing, so be it," Rory said angrily. "Once everything is alright in Whoville again, the town will come around and Sookie can't stay mad for long."

"And you?" Luke asked worried.

"Like I said, I'm not giving up on her," Rory said determined. After a few seconds of silence Rory took in a deep breath. She wanted to ask him if he would forgive her mother but didn't know if it was her place to ask, and honestly, she was also a bit afraid of Luke's answer.

"What about you?" The question just came out with the breath she was releasing and Rory looked rather shocked at Luke.

"I…" Luke was about to answer when the door to his room got pushed open and nurse Greene entered.

"Ah, a man of his words," Carol said and after seeing the questions on both Luke and Rory's face she enlightened them. "The breakfast," she said pointed towards Luke's tray. "You didn't even touch the bread," Carol finished and took the tray from Luke's nightstand.

"Well, if it hadn't been lying open somewhere for two days, it might have been edible," Luke replied snidely.

"Grump, grump, grump." Carol said on her way out the room. "I'll be back in a few and you better say goodbye to your visitor since I'm guessing you and her don't want to see what is up next," she said with a pointed look at Luke who knew immediately what she was talking about.

"I thought a male nurse was taking care of that," Luke asked worriedly and shot an embarrassed look at Rory.

"It's your lucky day. Brad caught the flu," Carol shouted over her back.

"So what? He is the only male nurse in the whole hospital?" Luke barked back, getting more agitated with the situation.

"No, but the only one who works in our ward, so suck it up and take it like a man," The nurse countered. "And if you are a good boy I'll even give you a nice sponge bath before you go to bed tonight," Carol chuckled when she saw the terror written all over Luke's face.

"Is he always this easy to get to?" Carol asked, turning towards Rory with a big grin on her face.

"Am I not punished enough with my situation already? Why do I have to get a nurse with an attitude like that?" Luke grumbled to himself.

"Believe me, after two weeks in here you are going to look forward to seeing me." Carol smiled at Luke.

"Or I'll be ready to commit a crime," He shot back. "Another loner who went crazy after people bugged him too much."

"Oh, he did have a reputation as the town loner." Rory shimmied in.

"See. Listen to her. She is a smart girl," Luke said proudly and pointed a finger at Rory. "Going to do big things in life one day," he nodded and Rory blushed slightly.

"But she said _did have_, so you are not anymore," Carol argued against Luke. "So put away your hard exterior. You have been exposed," she grinned.

"Ok," Rory interjected. "I think I need to get going since they need to take care of stuff and well, a town meeting is waiting for me back home." Rory stood up and grabbed her things. "Oh, by the way, what do you want me to tell the town? The whole story or just a rough overview of how things are and going to be over the next couple of months? Babette already told me they wanted to pitch in as good as they can."

Luke groaned loudly and rolled his eyes for it seemed like the hundredth time today.

"If Taylor tries to put up fliers and decorations while I'm gone, tell him I'll hunt him down no matter what. Keep him out of my diner. If they want to do me any good they should come in, eat and drink as they normally do. If I come back and find a second window or an archway between his stupid soda Shoppee and my diner I'm going to kill him." He looked pointedly at Rory. "You got that?"

"Yes, sir." Rory gave him a mock salute and shrugged into her coat. She came over to him and gave him a hug as well as his conditioned allowed her.

When she was about to pull back, Luke looked up at her with a serious look on his face and said, "About earlier..." He stopped and looked over Rory's shoulder to make sure Carol was out of earshot before he continued, "we'll figure it out," he whispered and gave her shoulder one last squeeze.

Rory smiled relieved about his answer and was glad he didn't give up on her mom as well. She bent down to hug him one more time and whispered back, "Thank you," before she pulled away and left the room in a hurry, swiping away a stray tear that made her way down her cheek.

Nurse Carol came back into the room after she saw Rory hurrying out of the door. Beside her was a male nurse rolling in a cart with supplies on it.

"Scared the poor little girl away for today?" she teased Luke, but after seeing the sad look on his face, she took her teasing down a notch.

"I was just kidding before, you know," she said calmly. "Brad's not the only one on the floor here." She pointed at the man in the room and introduced him: "That's Stan the Man." She giggled and made her way out of the room to leave the men alone.

Both men rolled their eyes at her antics and gave each other a knowing look. Luke was visibly relaxing more and more now that he knew a man would take care of certain businesses and not Nurse Carol.

--

Tbc

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If life hands you lemons, ask for tequila and salt !


	11. Chapter 11

Better start with the disclaimer before I get into any trouble: Not mine and to be honest after season 6 and 7 I don't even want to own it and those who do should hide in a hole.

Thank you for your amazing reviews guys and for pointing out mistakes I made. Keep them coming. I really appreciate them – the good and the bad.

**AN:** I needed to change the timeline or better a bit of the storyline from the season to be able to fit something into that chapter that happened way later in the actual season.

**Special thanks **to **Vaso** and I'm going to do my best with the next chapter and try to write faster. A trip home is coming up again and since the muse seems to kiss me on my train rides I hope I'll get the next installment up faster.

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Chapter XI

„Stop! "

„Stop thinking! " Lorelai groaned out loud and let her head fell forward, crushing against the steering wheel.

"Ouch." She winced softly but didn't lift her head.

After leaving her house and heading towards the Dragonfly, Lorelai came to a hold at a stop sign. Her thoughts were still buzzing from A to B with some zigzagging through P, D and back to A.

_No town meetings since?_ Lorelai couldn't even remember the last time she went but since she started dating Chris she's not even been close to Miss Patty's.

_Town festival?_ - "The knit-a-thon." Lorelai groaned. "Please don't remind me of that drama."

_Town square?_ - Crickets.

_Doose's?_ - "Only occasionally but most of the time trying to avert the place." Lorelai answered her own question.

"And why is that?" the voice in her head shot at her.

"Chris is not into town stuff." Lorelai responded.

"And?" the voice questioned further.

"Chris likes to shop in supermarkets and after the welcome wagon and knit-a-thon disaster he is not so thrilled of running into townies and they are not fond of running into him either." She responded.

"And?" the voice pressured on.

"I don't want to take him into town with me." She replied in a whisper.

"Because?" the voice kept going.

"You are annoying you know that?" Lorelai shot back angrily.

"Yes and please answer." The voice returned.

"Because I can't stand the hurt and disappointed looks in people's faces and Lu…" Lorelai caught herself in time.

"You were saying?" the voice prodded further.

"None of your business." Lorelai mumbled and put the jeep into gear, starting to head for the Dragonfly again. "I really need to figure out how to shut George up." Lorelai mumbled.

When she entered the driveway of the Inn the voice in her head still hadn't calmed down.

"Gah! Stop talking!" Lorelai yelled out loud when she came to a stop at the Inn.

"I forbid you to talk to me." She ordered George while rubbing her temples. "You are giving me a headache."

After a few more seconds and a thousand thoughts later in the car, Lorelai grabbed her stuff and left the vehicle. When she entered the lobby she ran straight into a stunned Michel.

"I can see forgotten people." He gasped at her.

"Do I look like Julianne Moore to you?" Lorelai shot back.

"And it even speaks." Michel gasped again.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lorelai asked, getting more aggravated with Michel.

"It means I need to get out my red marker and put a note into my calendar _After months of going MIA newly wed Lorelai Hayden shows up at her Inn again and look at that it even is on a Saturday_ " Michel replied sarcastically.

Lorelai looked at him sternly before she collected her thoughts on what he just said to her and answered:

"First of all it's Gilmore and not Hayden and secondly I haven't gone MIA for months. I think I have even been here more than ever."

"Hiding in your office all day." Michel mumbled under his breath, interrupting Lorelai slightly before she continued.

"Third what does me being married have to do with anything?" She asked Michel challengingly.

"Nothing. Nothing at all." Michel snarled at her.

"Is this about us not going to Weston's once a month lately again? Doing our list for the handyman? Eating cake, drinking coffee and gossiping?" Lorelai asked with a tender tone in her voice now.

"Do you even remember the last time we did that?" Michel countered with an edge in his voice. "Or maybe we should take the meetings out of Stars Hollow or invite your husband to join us for you to get interested in them or me again."

Michel shook his head and came around the reception area. He put his hands in his pockets, looked up at Lorelai one more time before heading for the door to go outside, muttering under his breath: "At least with that diner owner you were still you."

"I did not change!" Lorelai yelled after Michel.

"Whatever." Michel muttered and disappeared through the door.

Lorelai shook her head and went into her office to put away her jacket and purse.

_Even the French putz is mad at you_. George was back in her head. _Well done Lorelai._

_Whe__n is Michel not mad at someone?_ Lorelai countered angrily.

Lorelai discarded her jacket and put her purse on her desk. She checked if someone had left her a note on her desk but after finding nothing she decided to head into the kitchen to check if Sookie was there.

When Lorelai neared the kitchen door she heard Sookie's voice and a small smile appeared on her face. She slowly pushed the door open. Sookie was obviously in an animated conversation with someone and Lorelai didn't want to disturb the talk.

"But why are you here Sookie?" Linda, a maid who often worked on the weekends since her husband got sick and needed the extra hours for taking care of the bills, asked Sookie worriedly. "You had to take Davey to the hospital. Shouldn't you be home with him?"

"Oh I'm only here to check up on things." Sookie dismissed Linda's concern. "I know Michel is here and can handle things but when it comes to my kitchen…"

"Oh you don't need to say more." Linda interrupted and both women started to laugh. "But everything is okay now with him?"

"Yeah he is doing better but he gave us one hell of a scare there." Sookie said relieved but still shocked from the happenings.

Lorelai stopped dead in her tracks when she heard Linda say they had to take Davey to the hospital. _What happened to the little tot and why didn't she know about it? Why does Linda know and why didn't Sookie say a word about it to her?_

Still in a daze Lorelai let go off the kitchen door which closed with a loud thud. Sookie and Linda looked up at the noise and discovered a still bewildered looking Lorelai. Linda looked from Sookie to Lorelai and back to Sookie again. Sensing the fast growing tension in the room, she excused herself and left the kitchen.

"Davey was in the hospital?" Lorelai got out after a couple of minutes of silence and staring at each other.

"Yes." Sookie replied shortly.

Lorelai was waiting for more information but Sookie didn't continue. She shook her head to get over the shocking news.

"Well what happened?" She asked.

"He got a bad case of the flu." Sookie answered with a shrug of her shoulders.

"And?" Lorelai pressured on. _When did she get so restrained towards me?_ Lorelai asked herself.

"Well he was sick all week and last night the fever was so high Jackson and I brought him to the emergency room." Sookie explained in a monotone voice. "No big deal. He is fine now."

"No big deal?" Lorelai asked not believing what she just heard. "How is that not a big deal Sookie? You had to take your baby to the hospital."

Lorelai couldn't believe how calm and indifferent Sookie was reacting. The woman who comes to her at least twice a week, sobbing and bawling her eyes out over two cupcakes that didn't turn out as good as the others from the batch and therefore were not making it into the selection for the guests, showed no reaction to what happened to her little son.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She asked sadly, the hurt present in her voice. "I could have helped with Martha and all."

Sookie released a snort and just turned around to check on her cooking notes and instructions she left for the weekend crew.

"Sookie?" Lorelai said in a soft but yet shocked tone and stepped closer to her friend.

The chef took in a deep breath and let it escape her lungs slowly again. She turned around to face Lorelai and after seeing Lorelai's hurt written all over her face, Sookie nearly wanted to drop her anger and just embrace her friend and cry with her. She couldn't though. It was now or never and Sookie was simply fed up with the whole situation. She had tried, she really did but Lorelai had changed into a person Sookie couldn't and wouldn't want to be friends with anymore.

She always thought they were best friends but since Christopher was back in her life Lorelai tried to change Sookie and in extend her husband Jackson. Lorelai shut Sookie out and only tended to her when she wanted her and Jackson to make friends with her husband or if there was trouble in paradise. She neglected the town, town events and sometimes it even seemed as if she wasn't even interested in her own business anymore. _Christopher wants me to be home more to spend time with Gigi and him._ Was her standard excuse for not showing up at the weekend or leaving early every other day during the week.

"You could have helped." Sookie said mockingly and started to chuckle.

"Why is that so funny?" Lorelai asked, anger raising in her voice now since she was still confused about Sookie's behavior and hurtful attitude towards her.

"Is Christopher out of town or did you have another fight so you need to get distracted and out of the house?" Sookie asked challengingly.

"Sookie I don't understand what's going on here." Lorelai tried again, desperate to get to know what the hell is happening here.

"When was the last time you have been there for me? When was the last time we had dinner together or went shopping? When was the last time you spent time with my kids – one of them being your godchild?" Sookie shot the questions at Lorelai. "Did you even realize my mood swings and inability to cook again over the last few weeks since every dish is too salty thanks to my screwed up taste buds?" she finished her assault and crossed her arms over her chest.

"You are pregnant again?" Lorelai asked bewildered. "But how is that possible? Jackson got snipped."

"Maybe you should have rather paid more attention to your friends instead of pushing your husband at everyone in this town and forcing them to like him." She snarled at Lorelai.

"I didn't force anyone." Lorelai countered halfheartedly since she knew Sookie was right.

"Oh really?" Sookie shot right back_. "Sookie, you're my best friend. I really need your support here. Christopher is my husband and it would be great if you would just get on board."_ Sookie mimicked Lorelai. _"I need you to help me get the rest of the town on board_."

"You even dragged Jackson into it and made him go out with him." Sookie continued in her normal voice. "It was a disaster and Jackson still hasn't recovered from it and stays out of Casey's."

"But you know what the worst part is?" Sookie said sadly. "Not that he came and ruined the festival. Not that you just eloped with him and didn't tell me. That I had to find out by seeing the ring on your finger." Sookie stopped.

"What is the worst part?" Lorelai whispered the question, to afraid of asking out loud.

"That the idiot husband of yours lives here for months now and still has no clue how that town works and that if you bad mouth people in a local bar it will get back to them." Sookie said fiercely. "And you want to know the real sad part about it?"

Lorelai was too shocked to even utter a single word. She just shook her head no and swallowed hard to get the lump out of her throat.

"After watching you over the last couple of months I have no doubt he did it at home as well and you didn't do anything to stop him or defend any single one of the townies let alone Jackson and I." She said sorrowfully.

"Sookie I…" Lorelai tried but Sookie cut her short.

"I don't want to hear another one of your lame excuses or blaming it all on Christopher." she put her hand up to stop Lorelai from interjecting. "I heard them all and then some."

Sookie picked up her stuff and moved towards the exit. She turned around again and faced Lorelai.

"I let you get away with it after you broke up with Luke. I let you bad mouth him and blame him for the whole break up because I thought I had to be on your side since I thought it was the right thing to do as your friend but I can't jump on your wagon now. Believe me I tried but you turned into a person I'm good with seeing at work but in my free time I want to be with people I can trust and enjoy my time with."

Sookie sighed, turned around and opened the door to exit the kitchen. She stopped once more.

"I hope he is worth it; all of it." And with that Sookie went through the door and let it fall shut behind her.

Lorelai stood in the kitchen, shell-shocked and tears welling up in her eyes. She didn't know for how long she stood there like that, not moving, not even blinking and she wasn't even sure if she was breathing or not.

"No he is not." Lorelai mumbled into the empty kitchen and pulled herself out of the daze. She blinked back the tears she now felt nearly escaping her eyes and drew in a shaky breath.

After standing there for a couple more minutes Lorelai gave the kitchen another look and made her way back into her office to get her purse and keys. She collected her stuff and headed out of the Inn. On the car ride home George in her head for once left her alone.

When she entered the crap shack she just disposed her purse, jacket and keys right on the floor in the entrance way and made a beeline for the couch. She dropped down hard on it and slouched down into the cushions.

She blinked a few times before her glance fell on the flat screen on the wall. Lorelai groaned and simply shut her eyes.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Lorelai didn't know for how long she had been sitting on her couch. _Town meeting_ randomly popped up in her head. She groaned and sat up.

"What?" Lorelai asked herself out loud.

"Rory and Babette were talking about a town meeting." The voice in her head helped her out.

Lorelai glanced at a clock. 4pm. it read.

_A bit too early for a town shindig._ She thought but got up anyway. She walked over to the entrance way and picked up her purse and jacket from the floor where she had dropped them earlier and left for town.

After a quick stop at Weston's to get a cup of coffee, she headed for Miss Patty's dance studio. The doors were closed but when she spotted her daughter's car, she knew the meeting must have started already.

Lorelai looked back at the closed door. An uneasy feeling crept into her stomach. After everything that had happened yesterday and today she wasn't sure how this meeting will turn out. Everyone seemed to be mad and disappointed with her and now she was about to enter the lions den all alone.

_Why all of a sudden was she the bad guy? The whole town saw what Luke did to me and how it effected me, and now everyone is mad at me?_ She yelled in her head.

_Well you married an outsider and not just only a new guy you met somewhere. The whole town knows you__r history and what damage he caused over the years and well he simply doesn't fit here._ The voice replied.

_Yeah, yeah and all the other reasons I heard over the last 24 hours._ She grumped back and before the voice in her head was able to give her another smart comment of the day, she intercepted in a hushed voice: "Ok going in now. No need to put it off any longer. Think band-aid." She drew in a deep breath.

"And here goes nothing." She blew out and opened the door to Miss Patty's. The moment she sat foot into the room Taylor and Patty, who saw her first, stopped dead in their sentences. Taylor was obviously having some kind of argument with Patty about some stupid law they were breaking with the meeting.

The mumbling in the room tuned down after seeing the shocked expressions on the faces of the two people in front of them.

"What is it Taylor." Babette screeched up at him from the front row. "Did you see a ghost or what?"

"Well you can call it that." Patty replied in a stunned voice, not able to turn her eyes from Lorelai.

Everyone in the room turned around to see what caused the shocked expression on both Taylor's and Miss Patty's faces. Their eyes grew wide and a few mouths dropped open at the sight of Lorelai standing uncomfortable in the doorway.

"Aw man." A whiny voice from the front broke the silence in the room. "So you see her, too? And here I thought: Wow Kirk finally you have a gift like that kid who can see dead people in that movie and I would become famous." Kirk pouted and turned in his seat, slamming his hand on his thigh in defeat.

"Well, well, well the lost sheep has finally returned to the herd." Taylor said snappishly.

"Maybe her shepherd only allowed her to furlough." Someone in the crowed joked back.

"Or he is not in town to chaperone her." A second voice popped up.

Lorelai was still standing in the doorway, shell shocked about the town's reaction to her being there. Tears welled up in her eyes and she had to swallow hard to get the lump out of her throat. Her vision was blurred due to the tears but she noticed a female figure standing up a few seats to her right and she sighed in relief.

"Guys." Rory said in a calm voice. "Leave her alone please and can we get back on topic!" Rory said in a demanding tone.

Taylor banged his gavel and spoke up:"Alright folks. Let's concentrate on the problem at hand."

When he saw Lorelai hadn't moved from her position in the door, he turned to her.

"Lorelai would you please come in, close the door and sit down. I want to continue with the meeting and you are violating paragraph…"

"Oh for Pete's sake Taylor! Give it a rest!!" Babette screeched and interrupted him. "Lorelai sugar, sit down or the stickler for the letter of the law won't continue."

Lorelai was still confused and hurt about the town's reaction towards her appearance but she started moving over to where Rory was seated and let herself sink down in the chair next to her daughter.

"Thanks hon." She whispered and patted Rory on the knee.

"No problem mom." Rory assured her and put her hand over Lorelai's, squeezing it softly.

"Ok where were we?" Taylor rather asked himself and looked down at the papers in front of him as if he would find the answer there.

"You babbled something about going against town rules if we keep the diner up and running while Luke is in the hospital." Patty helped him out with an annoyed pitch in her voice.

"No need for that tone Patty." Taylor attacked back. "These are rules we need to follow in order to keep the town running smoothly."

"But it's Luke, Taylor!" Babette screeched again. "You practically know him since he was born and he needs our help and the money from the diner."

"What is this all about?" Lorelai wanted to know since she missed the beginning of the meeting.

"Apparently you can't keep your business open when you're not in town for a longer period of time and don't have some relative or specially assigned person to look after the business while you are gone." Rory explained patiently and rolled her eyes.

"When did you come up with that rule Taylor?" Lorelai asked incredulously.

"It's been in the town laws books for quiet some time now young lady but apparently no one but me is reading our town rules." Taylor said affronted.

"And you apparently write rules in there without asking the town about it." Someone from the crowed in the back replied.

"What happened to that rule when Luke went on that cruise for a few weeks? I don't remember him ranting about it back then and I bet he would have if he had known about it." Lorelai said, ignoring the comment she thought Bootsy had made.

"Holidays are an exception." Taylor quickly said.

"Covering your own butt there now Taylor?" Patty asked sheepishly. "Weren't you out of town for weeks, too not that long ago?"

"That's not our problem at hand here right now." Taylor shot back nervously.

"So where is the problem Taylor?" Lorelai asked matter-of-factly. "Just pretend he is on vacation then."

"But…" Taylor tried to argue back but got interrupted by Babette again: "Anyone in favor of the vacation excuse say 'Aye'!"

"Aye!" came the united yell from the crowd.

"Ok moving on then." Babette closed the topic. She turned around to look at Rory and Lorelai. She smiled softly at Lorelai to let her know she was glad to seeing her at the meeting. Lorelai smiled back and sighed relieved.

"Rory doll since you have been to the hospital and talked to Luke you should take over and tell us what Luke said." Babette addressed Rory.

Rory looked around Miss Patty's. All eyes were on her. She took a deep breath and stood up slowly.

"I guess the word hasn't spread yet how bad the situation is?" Rory asked and got a simultaneous shrug no from the crowd.

"Ok. So Luke's back got bruised pretty badly and he is not able to move his legs. He doesn't have any feelings in his lower body." Rory started and earned a loud grasped from the town's people. "The doctor told us that would most likely change during the next couple of weeks. Once the bruise starts to go away, the feelings will return but since he can't walk or use his legs, the muscles are going to degenerate and he won't be able to walk at first. He needs rehab once the feelings are back which will take another couple of weeks or rather months."

Rory stopped and let the information sink in with the people around her. A few grasps, oh my gods and poor thing whispered through the room.

"Lane and I hashed out a few things for the diner already and Luke mostly agreed with what we planed out." She continued. "Zach will take over for Lane full time since she has enough on her plate with carrying twins. She will however look over the books and deliveries."

"Does she know how to keep track of the books?" Lorelai asked softly when Rory made another pause. "I mean knowing Luke's system and if he hasn't changed it while…"Lorelai stopped for a second before she continued, "if he hasn't got a computer or anything I doubt Lane will know how to keep the books up to date."

"So what are you suggesting?" Rory asked hopefully.

"Well I can help her with that stuff since I know how and maybe we can even get his stuff on a computer finally. I always tried to talk him into it but he was too stubborn to change anything." Lorelai explained her train of thought.

"He is still doing everything by hand." Lane piped up. "But he got a laptop to stay in better touch with April."

"Ok we can work with that." Lorelai responded enthusiastically. "And this time he has no other choice but accepting it." She added with a grin on her face. Rory and Lane exchanged a bemused smile and Rory was relieved her mom was getting involved in helping Luke on her own and not by persuasion on her side.

"I can help, too." Kirk shouted from the front row. "When the car crashed into the diner, I opened my own and it was a success."

"Oh Kirk please." Babette shot him down. "You set the lawn on fire and Taylor forbade you to ever open your own food business again."

"But I'm not opening. I would wait on people and let the delivery guy in in the morning." Kirk responded.

"Oh good luck with the meat guy Kirk." Lorelai chuckled. "You are sure right up his alley."

"Well mom." Rory tried tentative. "Since you mentioned the meat guy."

"What about him?" Lorelai asked.

"Well you should know best he doesn't leave his stuff with anyone but Luke." Rory continued. "But you persuaded him once and well I think we need you to do it again as long as Luke isn't back." Rory finished with a small smile on her face. _You already agreed to help out with the books, so you wouldn't mind that, too, right?_ She thought.

"You know about that story?" Lorelai asked her mouth falling agape.

"Yeah well Luke told me about it since we didn't know what to do about the meat guy and he remembered it." Rory said with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Luke – THE Luke, our Luke who blushes the moment someone even mentions his boxer briefs told you about that morning?" Lorelai asked one more time, not believing Luke told Rory of all people that story.

"Oh boxer briefs." Patty said dreamily. "Pay up Babette. I was right." She finished with a grin.

"Patty!" Lorelai said and shook her head amused.

"Ew gross mom." Rory crunched up her face. "He only told me you convinced the meat guy to leave the stuff and not what you did after."

"Sorry hon." Lorelai smirked and averted her eyes.

_What a day and night._ Lorelai sighed. _It definitely changed our relationship in a positive way._ Lorelai thought. _Brought us closer for sure. At least that's what I thought._ She continued her inner dialogue. _It did and you know it._ A second voice in her head answered. _Yeah I know._ Lorelai sighed again.

"What's wrong mom?" Rory asked her in a hushed tone.

"Nothing sweets." Lorelai replied sadly. "Just the memory of it all you know."

"Ok Sugar. What else needs to be done here?" Babette screeched and pulled them back into the meeting.

"Oh em." Rory stuttered. "I think we covered all. Lane and I are taking care of the diner the way Luke agree with us. He is very happy and glad you all want to pitch in but the best you can do is to do as always."

"What does that mean?" Taylor asked.

"Well he wants you to come in, eat, do the usual but not change anything." She gave him a pointed look.

"I don't know what you are talking about Rory." Taylor said and looked everywhere but Rory.

"Luke told me and let me quote him: If Taylor tries to put up fliers and decorations while I'm gone, I'll hunt him down no matter what and if I come back and find a second window or an archway between his stupid soda Shoppee and my diner I'm going to kill him." Rory said sternly.

"An archway…" Taylor mulled that thought over in his head.

"Don't you even dare to continue that thought Taylor." Lorelai warned him. "Or do I need to remind you of the frying pan?"

"So there is nothing else we can do?" Babette asked disappointed.

"Right now, no." Rory replied. "The diner is taken care off. Just don't mess with it or give Zach and Caesar a hard time and we should be good to go."

"Can we visit him?" Patty wanted to know.

"Do I need to answer that?" Rory asked in return.

"Yeah we know what our grump is going to say if we show up." Babette smirked. "But you are going to tell him we wanted to come and are thinking about him getting better and all sugar?"

"Yes Babette. I'm going to give him all your blessings." Rory reassured them.

"Thanks. You are a doll." Babette said relieved.

"Can we close the meeting or is there more to discuss?" Taylor asked impatiently.

"No we are good to go." Rory told him.

"Meeting's closed then." Taylor announced and banged his gavel.

The town folks gathered their stuff and slowly left Miss Patty's, chatting and exchanging opinions on their way out. Rory turned to Lorelai and looked at her mother for a second.

"So what are you up to now?" She asked. Lorelai looked up from her seat and shrugged her shoulders in response.

"I know visiting hours are over but since Luke didn't touch his breakfast and having his rant about it still in my ears I thought I would go over to the diner and let Caesar wrap something up for him." Rory said.

"Ok." Lorelai replied shortly.

"You coming with me or are you going home?" Rory asked further. "Is dad coming home tonight?"

"No he said he wanted to stay at his mom's with Gigi for the weekend." Lorelai said and got up from her seat. "He should be back tomorrow."

"So your verdict is…?" Rory left the question hanging there to be filled by Lorelai.

"Rory." Lorelai sighed. "I…" She looked at her daughter with sad eyes.

"I know mom." Rory sighed, too and averted her eyes.

Lorelai looked around Miss Patty's. Everyone had cleared out by now. She looked at her daughter's disappointed but understanding face. She sighed and hooked her arm through Rory's.

"Turkey sandwich with a side dish of rabbit food." Lorelai said determinedly and pulled Rory towards the door. "Get me a coffee, will you."

Rory smiled brightly at her mother: "Turkey sandwich, rabbit food and two coffees to go coming right up."

"See if they have a donut or two as well." Lorelai grinned.

Rory stopped and hugged her mom tightly. "Thank you." She whispered and made her way to the diner. Lorelai sighed as she watched her daughter go into Luke's. "You are welcome hon." She whispered to herself and made her way to the jeep. She drove in front of the diner and waited for Rory to come out with the food.

"This is going to change everything." Lorelai heaved a sigh.

_For the better._ The voice in her head was back.

"Let's see about that." Lorelai mumbled and a second later Rory opened the door and climbed into the passenger seat with a bright grin on her face.

--

TBC

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If life hands you lemons, ask for Tequila and Salt !


	12. Chapter 12

Better start with the disclaimer before I get into any trouble: Not mine and to be honest after season 6 and 7 I don't even want to own it and those who do should hide in a hole.

Thank you all for your amazing reviews guys and for pointing out mistakes I made. Keep them coming. I really appreciate them – the good and the bad.

**AN:** Oy it has been forever since I updated. I'm so sorry for that but one blink and two months are gone. I hope you enjoy the chapter. Finally some Luke AND some Luke and Lorelai :D About time you say ? Then off you go and read…..

**Special thanks **to **Vaso** and sit your butt down and start your story Missy *wiggles finger into your face*

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Chapter XII

"Do I smell burgers?" Lorelai asked, sniffing the air in the Jeep.

"Yeah, I thought we would join Luke and eat dinner with him." Rory explained. "Give him some company you know. Besides I'm starving. Haven't eaten anything real all day." Rory finished and looked over to her mother.

"Is that ok?" She asked after seeing the frown on Lorelai's face.

"But I can have the coffee now, right or do I have to wait till we are there since it takes us a while and although I inhale coffee even when it's cold, I'd somehow prefer it hot right now." Lorelai rambled.

"Yes junkie, you'll get the coffee now." Rory said, rolling her eyes and handing the to-go cup over.

Lorelai took a big gulp and wrinkled her nose. After seeing her mother's face, Rory asked:

"What is it?"

"Luke didn't tell Caesar where he keeps the good stuff." She pouted but took another sip after all.

"Next time he is tied to a stretcher we get that information out of him first and tell Caesar where he can find it." Rory replied sarcastically.

"Well I kind of figured I wouldn't get the real deal anyway." Lorelai stated. "I'll live…have been for months." She added in a whisper.

"Maybe Luke tells you where he has the good stuff and you can tell Caesar to brew it for you." Rory tried to lighten up the mood.

"I'm not in the 'we know where Luke hides the special blend' club anymore hon." Lorelai answered.

"You'll always be in his club mom." Rory reasoned.

"Doubt it." Lorelai mumbled.

"You shouldn't" Rory shot right back.

Just as Lorelai wanted to reply a cell phone went off and _Oblivious_ by Aztec Camera echoed through the car.

"Is that Luke's cell?" Lorelai asked bewildered.

"Yeah. How do you know it's his?" Rory asked, looking curious at Lorelai while digging for the phone.

"I put the ring tone on it." Lorelai said matter of fact.

"It should be April wanting an update on Luke." Rory explained to her mother.

Rory got her cell phone out of her purse and answered it. Lorelai listened to the one-sided conversation. Rory gave April an update on how the town meeting went and told her they were on their way to Luke right now. Since Lorelai was only able to hear Rory's side of the conversation she could only assume that April updated Rory on her status as well. Rory assured April they would take good care of her father and she could contact either Rory or Lorelai anytime she wanted. Since Lorelai would be using Luke's laptop to update diner businesses, April could contact her via instant messenger if she wanted to. As the conversation was nearing the end Rory again assured April to not worry about Luke and concentrate on school. Luke wouldn't be mad at her for not being able to come. School comes first.

"She can't come down here?" Lorelai asked once Rory said her goodbye and hang up the phone.

"No she has a science project going on and they are going to do a field trip because of that. She can't miss it or she fails class." Rory sighed.

"How long is this field trip going to be?" Lorelai asked further.

"About three weeks." Rory stated. "This sucks for her big time."

"I can imagine." Lorelai sighed. "But you told her she can call and use whatever messenger she is using with Luke. We can set up a time schedule so she won't miss out on any updates."

"That's a good idea." Rory said. "Oh we are here already." Rory said surprised.

"Almost." Lorelai said. "We only need to find a parking space or if you want you can jump right out of the driving car." She grinned at her daughter.

"Funny mother of mine." Rory said, rolling her eyes.

Lorelai found a parking space and both girls made their way to the hospital entrance. Since Rory knew where Luke's room was located, they made their way quickly through the hospital.

"Freeze and drop the bags." A female voice coming from behind Rory and Lorelai interrupted their approach.

"Nurse Carol." Rory said, a smile spreading on her face.

"Hathaway?" Lorelai asked without missing a beat.

"No Greene." Rory responded, turning to look back at her mother. When she saw her scrunched up face, Rory asked: "What?"

"Never pictured them together." Lorelai answered with a shudder.

"Mom." Rory hissed back at her and hit her mother slightly in the ribs with her elbow.

"What?" Lorelai asked innocently. "You were pro Doug/Carol, too." She pouted.

"You are bringing our maverick some food?" Carol asked when she came to a halt next to the Gilmore girls.

"Mel Gibson's here, too?" Lorelai's mouth fall open in shock.

"Mom." Rory hissed again.

"Yeah but I'm afraid not even Jodi Foster can get a smile out of him." Nurse Carol joined in Lorelai's joke.

"Well she is not his type anyway." Lorelai shrugged, eyeing Carol warily.

"Nurse Carol, this is my mom Lorelai. Mom this is the nurse who's taking care of Luke." Rory introduced both women to each other.

"Hi." Both said.

Lorelai couldn't help but checking out that nurse. She was pretty much her height and weight. Dark black hair she had put up in a pony tail and brown eyes. She seemed to have the same witty humor Lorelai was fond of and from the few words exchanged, she seemed to know Luke and his attitudes quiet well already. Maybe too well for only knowing each other for 2 days.

"Visiting hours are over already." Carol interrupted Lorelai's thoughts.

"Yeah we know." Rory confessed and blushed slightly. "We just wanted to drop off the food since I bet he didn't touch any of the food here."

"Believe it or not but Mr. Grumpypants ate some fruit and salad in the afternoon." Carol said proudly.

"That's right up his alley: "Lorelai whispered.

"Can we still sneak in for a couple of minutes?" Rory said in a hushed tone as if some grand hospital police would show up and kick them out.

"No, it's ok." Carol said. "But don't make it two hours." She winked and left Rory and Lorelai.

While Lorelai still stared after the nurse, Rory was already moving towards Luke's room.

"Mom?" She called back when she realized her mother wasn't following her. When Lorelai turned, she continued: "You coming?"

"Yeah" Lorelai whispered and walked over to her daughter. Rory pushed Luke's door open and headed into the room. Lorelai took a deep breath and stepped through the door as well.

Luke was lying on his back, eyes closed and a slight snoring echoed through the room. Rory glanced over to Lorelai who had a small grin on her face, Luke's position all too familiar to her.

"He is sleeping." Rory whispered. "Should we wake him?"

"If we don't do it now he will be dead to this world for the next couple of hours." Lorelai whispered back.

"What do you mean?" Rory asked confused.

"He is not in his REM sleep phase yet. Once he enters it nothing wakes him up so now is our last chance to get him back to the living." Lorelai explained and pushed Rory closer to Luke's bed.

"Don't push me." Rory whispered harshly.

"You have to wake him up and make it fast." Lorelai reminded her.

"Why do I have to wake him?" Rory asked.

"Because he won't kill you." Lorelai grinned back at her.

Since both girls were busy arguing about Luke's REM sleep and who should wake him, they didn't realize his light snoring had stopped and two eyes were staring into their direction. Luke had already woken up and enjoyed the little play that went on in front of him. Lorelai was still slightly pushing Rory towards his bed and Rory tried desperately to get Lorelai to wake him up instead of her.

"What makes you so sure about that?" Rory shot back at her mother. "Besides you are the one who has experiences with what's the best way to wake him up."

"That's why I want you to go in the lions den." Lorelai replied, sticking out her tongue.

Rory's mouth fell open: "You are sacrificing your only child?"

"No one is going to get sliced into pieces here." Luke grumbled from the bed. As much as Luke wanted to see more of their little act, he had to intervene at one point or the other. He had missed their bickering and he could have watched for a while longer but he smelled the food the girls brought with them and after the lousy meals he got in this joint he was ready for something even as disgusting as a red meat burger.

Lorelai's and Rory's mouths fell agape and their eyes went wide when they heard Luke's voice boom through the room. They slowly turned into Luke's direction and stared at him.

"I doubt anyone can sleep through your deed. Once you two are in your element you would even rouse the dead." He growled.

"We didn't mean to wake you Luke." Rory apologized and blushed slightly.

"Yes you were and now what's in those bags you are holding?" Luke stated matter of fact and pointed to the bags in Rory's hand.

Rory stared at Luke for another second before turning to her mother with a confused look on her face.

"He has low blood sugar hon." Lorelai answered and shrugged with her shoulders. She grabbed the bags from Rory and moved over to Luke's bed. She put the bags on the table next to Luke's bed and started to unpack them.

Rory narrowed her eyes at them: "You guys are weird." And then moved to the other side of Luke's bed. She picked up one of the chairs and put it next to the bed.

Lorelai took the food out of the bags and handed one of the burgers over to Rory who sat down and started unpacking her goods. She placed the second burger on her side and got the fries out next.

Luke watched the entire scene and was slightly confused when Lorelai seemed to be done unpacking.

"Don't tell me you only got here with your death on a plate and let me watch you eat that?" Luke grumbled, looking from Lorelai to Rory and back again. "You have any idea how starved I am? If I could I would even tackle you down and eat that heart attack on a bun right this instance."

"Calm down Cujo." Lorelai said with a laugh. "We brought you a wimpy with a rose pinned on it and some rabbit food." She chuckled and got Luke's food out of the bag.

"And let me guess you and Rory had two hot blonds for the road?" Luke shot back as he grabbed his food and unwrapped it.

"Yeah but Caesar still doesn't know how to do the java right." Lorelai complained with a pout. "Next time make sure he knows where the special blend is."

"I'll keep that in mind when they wheel me out of the diner again on a stretcher." Luke deadpanned and rolled his eyes.

"Just tell me where you keep the stash and I'll let Caesar know." Lorelai replied and took a bite of her burger.

"As soon as I get out of here you'll get your death in a cup." Luke stated casually and bit into his turkey burger as well.

Rory sat silently eating her food and watching them with an amused smile on her face. Maybe everything will turn out alright and they will at least become friends again. She had missed those verbal tennis matches between her mother and Luke. That's all Rory dared to hope right now.

After a few more bites Luke looked up from his food and over to Rory.

"So what's on the agenda here besides the food?" he addressed Rory and dragged her back into the conversation.

"What?" Rory asked confused.

"Oh right. The town meeting." She shook her head and put her food down for the moment. "Everyone says hello and sends their well wishes. I presented the plan we made earlier to them and they seemed to accept it."

"Even Taylor?" Luke asked suspiciously.

"Well he put up a fight at first but seemed to be ok with it in the end. I guess we still need to keep an eye on him though. Caesar and Zach can handle him." Rory said but seeing Luke's raised eyebrow she continued in a lower voice: "Or at least try to."

"I'm not as good as you when it comes to throwing frying pans but I know how to keep Taylor in check." Lorelai announced with her mouth half full of burger and fries.

"Chew and swallow first." Luke pointed out.

Lorelai chewed and swallowed down her food. She stuck out her tongue toward him and gave him a big smile: "Better now?"

Luke looked over to Rory and said: "Your mother."

"Not my fault common etiquette is lost on her." Rory shot back. "I tried my best over the years."

"Ok focus on the task before she puts another load of food into her mouth." Luke muttered and turned back to Lorelai.

"Hey play nice buddy." Lorelai said and swatted him lightly on the upper arm.

"I agreed to take care of the meat guy since I have him wrapped around my finger already." Lorelai announced all business like. "Does he still show up at the same day and time?

"Yes." Luke said and shoved a tomato into his mouth.

"Good." Lorelai nodded her head. "And the next thing I need to know is: where do you keep your laptop?"

"My laptop?" Luke asked confused. "What do you need my laptop for?"

"Well since neither Caesar nor Lane knows how to keep the books up to date I'm going to do that. Therefore I need your laptop." Lorelai simply stated.

"I don't have any business stuff on that damn thing." Luke grumbled. "I still keep everything on paper and I'm not going to change that. With all those lunatics out there sending you viruses and Trojans you never know when the stupid laptop goes down and then everything is lost or even worse my personal stuff gets into the wrong hands."

"You finished my ranting energizer bunny?" Lorelai said with a smirk on her face. Luke only glared at her and Lorelai continued: "I'll put my software on your laptop so it's easier for me to see how business goes. If you haven't changed your system I know where to find everything and set it up for my use. I will still keep all the papers so you can look through them once you are back home. I'm not going to throw anything away once it's filed onto the laptop. When you get back you can either keep it or go back to your paper shavings system."

"It is a good system" Luke protested.

"Yeah for when you are still living in the fifties." Lorelai rolled her eyes.

"It worked back then, it still works now." Luke shot back.

"Guys." Rory intervened and Luke and Lorelai turned their heads toward her. "Can we focus please?"

"Sorry." Both mumbled at the same time.

"The laptop should either be on the kitchen or coffee table." Luke started the conversation again. "The ledger and everything else is still in the same place. If there is something missing I've probably put it in the safe."

"Keys?" Lorelai asked.

"Same place as always." Luke stated matter of fact and polished off the rest of his salad.

"So the diner stuff should be taken care off then." Lorelai concluded. "I'll set up the laptop, go over your books and keep tap on the finances."

"Don't forget the meat guy." Rory reminded her and Lorelai only nodded in agreement and ate the last fries. Lorelai got up and collected the trash. She put the containers back into the big paper bag and moved towards the trash can.

"April called while we were on our way over here." Rory said and saw Lorelai's body tense up slightly when she released the paper bag.

"How is she?" Luke immediately turned his focus on Rory. "Those stupid hospital idiots can't get me a phone in here until tomorrow and even that is a wag assumption."

"She is ok." Rory replied and watched her mother walk back over to them. "She is pretty upset since she can't come see you. There is a school project she can't miss and they are going on a field trip."

"Yeah I already knew about the project." Luke sighed. "But school comes first. She can't miss that or she'll fail her class."

"I told her you'd understand it." Rory said soothingly.

"Thanks." Luke replied and lowered his gaze into his lap.

"You are welcome Luke and I'm going to call her later again to give her an update and hello from you." Rory smiled warmly at him once he looked back up at her.

"Do you have an instant messenger on your computer?" Lorelai asked, feeling sad about seeing Luke like that. April is his family and she should be here cheering him up and supporting him. It was not her fault, Lorelai knew that but she couldn't help but feel a new wave of anger towards Anna washing over her. First she kept April from Luke and now she dragged her across the country and far away from Luke.

"Yeah April and I use msn." Luke answered. "Once I had the hang of it that is." He chuckled. "Talking or typing you can choose."

"Both two activities you love most in your life." Lorelai laughed.

"Yeah well." Luke shrugged.

"Since I will be using your computer and if you are ok with it I can talk to her daily if those hospital idiots don't get you a phone soon." Lorelai asked tentatively.

"That would be good." Luke breathed relieved and Lorelai released the breath she didn't know she was holding.

Rory smiled slightly at the two of them and then glanced at her watch.

"Mom." She said. "I think we need to get going before Nurse Carol kicks us out."

"Yeah ok but there is one more thing I need to discuss with Luke." Lorelai started to say and glanced warily from Rory to Luke and back to Rory again. "Can you give us a minute hon?"

Rory gave Lorelai a confused look but decided they could talk about it on their way home. She said her goodbye to Luke and left the room.

"Ok what's going on Lorelai?" Luke asked the second the door closed behind Rory. Lorelai turned her focus on Luke and took a deep breath.

"How is your financial situation?" She asked straight out. "I mean does your insurance cover everything? The hospital stay now and the rehab later?"

"I don't know that for sure yet but my guess would be no." He replied. "I probably need to put some money into rehab myself but before I haven't talk to one of those guys I can't say for sure."

"And the diner? How is that doing? I mean you can keep it open and we'll do our best to run it without you but do you think it's enough?" Lorelai rushed through the questions.

"Well I had to repair a few things here and there especially after Kirk drove his car into it but business hasn't been too bad lately." He explained and studied Lorelai closely.

"What's this about Lorelai?" Luke asked after a moment of silence. He could tell something was bothering her but didn't know how to tell him.

"Well we never talked about it before although we had an agreement about me paying everything back but then we got together and somehow we forgot it - well not forgot but you are an investor and somehow never got anything out of your investment and now that you probably need the money we should talk about that. I don't know why we haven't before and now I feel bad that we didn't since it's your money Luke and the Inn has been open for a while now and business is good and I need to look into the books first and swing it by my finance woman but I don't think it's going to be a big deal…"

"Lorelai." Luke tried to interrupt her rambling but she kept going until Luke raised his voice.

"Lorelai!" He nearly screamed at her. She stopped mid argument and looked questioningly at Luke. "You are rambling."

"Sorry." Lorelai said and blushed.

"It's ok." He assured her. "Try again in one nice and simple sentence."

"I want to pay you back the money you loaned me many moons ago so I could open the Inn." She blurted out at once and winced slightly when she was done.

"There is no need for that Lorelai." Luke brushed it off.

"But it is your money Luke. You loaned it to me and I always intended to pay you back but we both somehow never got back to the subject. Well we somehow didn't need to but now…"

She stopped and averted her eyes. She dug her fingers into her thighs and took a deep breath.

"Everything has changed Luke and it is your money. You will need it at one point and I can pay you back now." Lorelai finished and looked pleadingly at Luke.

"There is no need for it Lorelai." Luke said again. Lorelai sighed loudly and wanted to get into a second argument but Luke stopped her.

"Ok tell you what." He started. "We see how everything goes. I'll talk to my insurance company and see what I have to pay myself and what they'll cover. If it's going to be too much we can talk about this again but for now I'm good." He paused and looked her straight in the eyes. "We are good ok?"

"But Luke…" Lorelai tried again.

"No buts period." He intercepted harshly. "I invested in your dream because I knew you would make it. You are an amazing woman Lorelai and I believed in you and your ability to create the best Inn on the east coast and I was proud … I am still proud to be a part of that."

Luke went quiet for a moment to let his words sink in with Lorelai. She had turned down her gaze again and was playing with her fingers. When it appeared to him that she had collected her thoughts he continued.

"If there is something else behind you wanting to give the money back then we can talk about it but as far as I'm concerned everything stays the way it has been since the day I loaned it to you." Luke looked meaningfully at her and hoped he made his point clear.

"No there is no other reason." Lorelai answered him in a low voice and shook her head.

"Then we'll deal with the issue when there is no way around it ok?" Luke said almost pleadingly.

Lorelai only nodded her head in agreement.

"I should go." She said softly after a few moments and rose from her seat. "Have a good night and don't worry too much about the diner. It's been taking care off."

She gave him a warm smile and made her way to the door.

"Thanks Lorelai." He spoke just as softly as she had a minute ago. "For everything. I really appreciate it."

"No problem Luke." She assured him. "After everything you have done for me and Rory over all those years it's the least I could do for you."

"Good night Lorelai." Luke said tenderly and gave her another warm smile.

"You too." She smiled back and left his room.

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TBC

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If life hands you lemons, ask for tequila and salt !


End file.
